The Swordsman & The Gunslinger, Part 1
by BigD1987
Summary: AU. There are millions of stories in the Old West. This is one of them. A story of four people from two worlds--east and west--who affect each other's destinies; it is the story of their first adventure.
1. L'Amour, Arizona

It was a hot day. In fact, that might be an understatement—it was _blazing_ hot, like an open-air oven. Men who were wearing their native clothing—Chinese and Japanese—toiled in the hot sun working on something that was quickly changing the landscape—railroad tracks. They sang and discussed in their native languages to pass the time away. A Chinese man stopped for a bit to wipe the sweat from his brow. But suddenly he felt the sting of a whip on his back. The man screamed in pain, as the man who whipped him, wearing Japanese clothing, prepped to whip him again. "No breaks!" He said in Chinese. The other workers stopped what they were doing to watch this. He was just about to strike the man again when suddenly an arm reached up and grabbed his. "What's this?" He said. He noticed a younger man, around the age of 20 look up at him. The young man, wearing blue _kimono _top with white _hakama_ and orange hair glared at the man with his red eyes. "I know you!" The man with the whip said. "You're that Kyo Sohma person, aren't you?" Then the man felt his arm being twisted behind him by said person.

"If you whip him again," said Kyo. "I will make sure you feel more pain than any whip can ever deliver. Is that clear?"

"Y-y-y-yes, it is!" He said. "Now let me go!" Kyo did so, and the man with the whip grabbed his arm, holding it in pain.

"You should feel lucky I didn't use my _katana _or my _wakizashi_," he said. "Now leave. And tell your boss not to hire abusive foremen." The man with the whip ran away from the scene with his figurative tail between his legs. With the foreman gone, the grateful workers immediately cheered and gravitated to Kyo, mobbing him. Kyo smiled as the men surrounded him.

"Thank you, Kyo-sama!" One Japanese man said. "If it weren't for you, we'd have no hope!"

"Please, I'm just happy to help," said Kyo.

"Please, take this payment in our gratitude," said another man, this one Chinese.

"Thank you," Kyo said in response. The man gave him a silver coin that Kyo accepted gratefully. "I appreciate your kindness, as you appreciate mine."

"If you are scamming us, we won't be kind," said one skeptical worker.

"Please, don't think of it that way," Kyo said in response. "I think of other first, payment last."

"We know you're as poor as us, Kyo-sama," said another man. "That's why we help."

"Thank you," said Kyo. "Now I must leave. My fiancé is probably worried about me." The men surrounding him laughed in response, as they opened up a path for Kyo to leave. The men waved goodbye to him as he walked to his horse and put his conical _kasa _on. "So long!" He kicked the horse in the side and it galloped away while the men waved goodbye. Soon, the men got back to work on the railroad to improve the desert and plains.

But wait, this isn't feudal Japan or imperial China. It's the American Old West, circa 1880. The location is the Arizona Territory near the town of L'Amour in Yavapai County. There are millions of stories in the Old West, from the early days of Lewis and Clark, to the end of the 'Wild West' period in the 20th century. From the tales of cowboys to gunslingers to outlaws to great tribes, these stories, whether fictional or not, have been told many times over in books, films, and TV shows in a genre called the Western. The Western has influenced storytelling and cinema across the world from Japanese cinema to _Star Wars_.

There are millions of stories in the Old West. This is one of them. It is the story of two worlds, both eastern and western. Four people, one story--and this is where it begins.

The stagecoach pulled into town, like it had every other day. It was a Wells Fargo coach, inbound from New Mexico and by extension Texas, which was no surprise; Wells Fargo was one of the more powerful coach companies in 1880 America. The coach pulled up to the edge of the town, near the under-construction train station. The coach came to a stop, with the driver trying to calm the horses down. "We're here!" The coach driver said. The passengers then disembarked, save for one passenger who was asleep. "Come on son; wake up," the driver said as he shook the youngster. The young man indeed woke up, stretching and yawning big.

Said passenger stepped off the coach, carrying his suitcase, looking around. The young man, around the age of 21, had medium-length brown hair—a rarity for the time—that was parted in the middle. He wore a tan vest over a striped shirt with the sleeves rolled up. He padded his legs, feeling his gun holster. He wore a pair of Levi Strauss' blue jeans and over those, a pair of boots. The young man had brown eyes, which one could not tell, because he was squinting, as he was not wearing a hat. The checked his money and smiled, determining he had enough and walked off the platform and into town.

The town was like any town one would think of when they thought of a Western town, with False Front Buildings lining the main road. People scurried along the road, and along the planks lining the buildings. Men tipped their hats in respect to the women in their hooped skirts.

The young man looked around the town and then smiled when he saw what he was looking for—a hat shop. The young man walked to the store, the bell ringing when he opened the door. The clerk, having heard the bell, came to the front counter and said, "Can I help you, sir?"

"Yes, I'm looking for a hat," said the young man, laughing.

"Yes, well, I can see that," said the clerk. "What kind of hat do you want?"

"I'll find my own," said the young man. The clerk nodded and smiled, and allowed him to look at the merchandise. The hats lined the wall, and the young man scanned the merchandise looking for the right hat. He tried a few on, but they didn't work right for him. Finally, he found one the fit right. It was a Stetson hat that slightly resembled a cavalry hat. The young man turned to the clerk and said, "I'll take this one."

"Great!" The clerk said. The young man paid for his hat with the money he had in his pocket. "Thanks for your business son," said the clerk.

"You're welcome," said the young man. He walked out again into the Arizona heat and put on his hat. He smiled at how much better he felt with his new hat on, which provided him some much needed shade. Now he needed to get to the general store and get some bullets for his gun.

Out side the general store the young man noticed a wanted poster, much like the ones he had seen in Texas. They were mostly of men he knew of—Jesse James, Big Nose George, William Bonney[1]—hadn't he met him before? Then he came across one that intrigued him. Some guy named 'Kyo Sohma', for harassment? The young man shook his head and sniggered in response before entering the general store. Again, the clerk came to the counter, but this one was a woman. She seemed about his age, with brown hair like him, but in a ponytail (a rarity!), denim shirt and blue jeans, much like him. "Hello," she said. "My name's Karen McKenzie. What's your name?'

"My name?" The young man said. "My full name's Seamus McMichael, but I prefer to just be known as Jimmy Michaels. But you can call me Jimmy," he said while smiling at her.

"Well, Jimmy," said Karen. "What can I get you?" Jimmy reached to his gun holsters and pilled both his guns out.

"I need some ammo for a Colt Single Action Army," he said. "Make that two."

"Colt Peacemaker?" she said to verify. Jimmy nodded in response. Karen pulled out some ammunition boxes containing Colt ammunition. Jimmy opened the boxes to verify and nodded when he saw he got what he wanted. "Need anything else?" She asked.

"Yes," Jimmy said. "Are you free anytime soon?" Karen laughed in response, as if she was going to reject him.

"I'll tell you what," she said. "You bring that Kyo Sohma guy in, and I might go to the saloon with you."

"Kyo Sohma?" Jimmy asked. Karen nodded her head, which Jimmy laughed to. "Isn't he wanted for harassment? What's so great about him?"

"Oh, he acts like some Robin Hood character," said Karen. "He tends to help out the Japanese and the Chinese out working on the railroad with some bad foremen. The railroad company has gone through 5 foremen already because he keeps scaring them off!"

"HA!" Jimmy laughed. "Has he killed anybody?"

"Not that I know of," said Karen. "I think the only reason he's wanted is because the railroad company's getting tired of him."

"I'm not sure if he's even worth bringing in," said Jimmy. "Is there another way?"

"Sure," she said. "I'll tell you as soon as you pay for your dadgum bullets!"

"Oh, sorry, I forgot about that," he said. "And you do realize it's not very lady-like to say such words, right?"

"I'll say what I want whether or not it's lady like!" She said.

"Sorry about that," he said. "I'll pay."

"Good for you," she said.

--

Speaking of Kyo, we find him riding the range to his log cabin some distance outside of L'Amour. It was a simple log cabin, one that had been built when Kyo and his fiancé, Tohru Honda, had come from Japan to their new home a year prior. In fact, Tohru was just stepping out of the house right now. She wore a blue _kimono _with a _sakura _sprinkled _obi_. She was around Kyo's age, 21 and her blue yes lightened up when she saw Kyo approach on his horse. Just seeing her face brighten always made Kyo happier and could make a bad day good again.

"Kyo-kun!" She called and waved to him. He waved back in response and said,

"Hello, Tohru!" He quickly got off his horse and walked towards her while she ran towards him. The two met and embraced in a loving way, much as they did when Kyo asked her to marry him back in Japan.

"Where did you go today, Kyo-kun?" She asked him.

"I helped some of the railroad workers again," he said. "They brought in a foreman with a whip, but I took care of him."

"Kyo, I'm not sure you should be doing that," she said. "I went into town earlier and I noticed there was a poster with your picture on it. I think it might be for your arrest."

"A wanted poster?" He asked. "Why would they want to arrest me?"

"Maybe because you've been chasing off foreman after foreman, Kyo-kun" she said.

"Tohru, I do it for our fellow Japanese and the Chinese," he said. "Even the white and black men appreciate what I'm doing."

"I just don't want you to get hurt Kyo-kun," she said. Kyo, in response, hugged her tightly.

"Tohru," he said softly. "Nothing will hurt me. I will not allow myself to get hurt, especially as long as I have my swords."

"But that's what worries me," she said as she walked their cabin. "These Americans have guns, and you don't."

"I can see why you're worried about me," Kyo said. "But I can disarm them if I want to. But since I do not want to see you cry, I will not get into a fight with a man armed with a gun."

"Thank you, Kyo-kun," said Tohru.

--

"So do any of you fellers know about Kyo Sohma?" Jimmy said a group of patrons at the L'Amour saloon. It was around mid-afternoon, and the saloon was hopping with activity, as it usually would be. In the background, a lively tune was played on the piano and patrons discussed the events of the day. Some people even played poker; others indulged in some… titillating acts with some of the ladies upstairs.

"Kyo Sohma?" One older patron said. "Yeah, I've heard of him. Hell, I've seen 'im, too. He came out to where they're building the railway one time to bring water to the workers. The C****s and the Japanese seemed to like him the most. He wore some kind of robe-like clothes, and he's got orange hair. And red eyes"

"Orange hair?" Jimmy asked as he took a sip of his beer. "He's from Japan, right?"

"Yep," he said. "Unfortunately, it doesn't seem as though he speaks much English, cuz I tried to talk to 'im and he didn't understand a word I said. You know, he even looks your age. How old are you?"

"Twenty-one," said Jimmy. "I'm old enough to vote."

"Well, he seems your age," said the old man. "He seems like a nice feller, he gave me water, too."

"I hear he's like some kind of Robin Hood figure," said Jimmy.

"He has that reputation," said another man, a Gary Cooper look-a-like [2]. "I never saw him though, so I can't tell."

"Neither did I," said the older man. 'I don't even know why he's wanted, must be because the railroad company doesn't like 'im."

"I know they don't like him," Jimmy said. "And to my knowledge, he hasn't killed anybody, why put a price on his head?"

"Probably cuz they value profit over people," said the old man. "The railroad may be changing the West, but the railroad companies don't care about who dies in order for that to happen."

"Have you been reading Marx?" Jimmy asked. The old man looked confused as to whom Jimmy was talking about.

"Who's he?"

"Some philosopher in Germany my pa talked about once," said Jimmy. "He said he had some good ideas, but if they were ever put into use, they would probably fail."

"No, I never heard of 'im," said the old man. "Sorry to disappoint ya."

"Oh well," said Jimmy. "I think I'll go to the railroad tomorrow and talk to the workers. After I get a horse."

--

The next day—after he obtained a horse—Jimmy moseyed on out to the railroad, about five miles west from town. It was a new line that came from Prescott and on to Nevada. There was already a line that went to Tuscon and on to Los Angeles, so this was a separate line, in a sense. Jimmy approached the construction site with relative ease. There was a foreman overseeing the work. He was a white man, unlike the Japanese foreman that Kyo had dealt with yesterday. The foreman greeted Jimmy by tipping his hat to him, which Jimmy returned. "Are you the foreman around here?" Jimmy asked.

"Yep," the man replied in a Texas accent. "What can I do for you?"

"What do you know about Kyo Sohma?" Jimmy asked. The foreman looked at him.

"Why, do you know him?"

"No," said Jimmy. "I'm trying to find him."

"Let me guess, you're thinking of that wanted poster in town," said the foreman.

"Yep."

"I haven't seen him yet," he said. "But it seems the c****s and the Japanese seem to know about him."

"I hear he's like a Robin-Hood figure to them," said Jimmy.

"He's attacked several previous foremen," the current foreman said defensively.

"Yeah, I know," said Jimmy. "That's why I hear he's a Robin Hood figure."

"Well I still don't like it," said the foreman. "You can ask these men anything, but you might not get anything out of the C****s."

"Thank you," said Jimmy. The foreman departed, got on his horse and rode away, presumably to report to the bosses. When the foreman was out of sight, Jimmy began looking for someone to talk to. He found his first discussion with two black gentlemen a few yards away. Jimmy walked over to them and said "Good afternoon," the two men paused for a moment to look at Jimmy. One was an older gentleman, around 40 years old, and his beard was starting to turn just the tiniest bit grey. The other man was in his thirties and had a goatee that had no grey in it. "Can any of you tell me about Kyo Sohma?"

"You mean that young man the Chinamen seem to like?" said the older man. "I've seen him before."

"What can you tell me? " Jimmy asked. "When was he here last?"

"He was here just yesterday," said the younger man.

"The foreman was whippin' a man because he stopped to wipe his sweat," said the older man. "That Kyo boy popped up and stopped the man from whippin' him any more and sent him runnin' after he twisted his arm."

"Do the Chinese and Japanese like him?" Jimmy asked.

"Yessir, they do," said the older man. "Whenever he pops up, they get a lot happier. He seems to come out of nowhere, too."

"Like a ghost?" Jimmy asked to verify.

"Well, not exactly a ghost," said the younger man. "Sometimes, we've seen him comin'."

"Have you ever talked to him?" Jimmy asked again.

"I tried to once," said the older man. "He didn't understand a word I said, though. You should ask the Chinamen anything about him."

"If they speak English," said the younger man.

"Thanks anyway," said Jimmy. The two men got back to working once Jimmy terminated the conversation. After that was done, Jimmy walked over to a group of Chinese and Japanese workers. "Excuse me," he said. They noticed his presence and looked up. "Do any of you speak English?"

"I do!" Someone a bit to the right said. Jimmy motioned for the person to come over to where he was. The person was about Jimmy's age, and much shorter than Jimmy's height of 6'00".

"What's your name?" Jimmy asked.

"Ping," he said.

"Hello Ping, my name's Jimmy Michaels," said Jimmy. "Can you ask these men about Kyo Sohma," said Jimmy.

"Well, what, exactly?" Ping asked.

"Well, what they think of him," said Jimmy. Ping called the Chinese workers to attention and asked them, in Chinese, what they thought of Kyo. An older man replied in Chinese. Ping turned to Jimmy and said,

"He looks out for us. He gives us water when we need it and he has driven off several foremen who have been hard on us."

"Yeah, that's why he's wanted by the sheriff's office," said Jimmy. Ping looked at Jimmy in confusion, as if he didn't know what he was talking about. "He's wanted! Doesn't that say anything?"

"None of us knew that," said Ping.

"That's why I'm looking for him," said Jimmy. He failed to mention that he really didn't think Kyo was worth being wanted by the sheriff of L'Amour. "So is he armed?" Ping relayed the question to the workers. A younger man responded.

"He's armed with two swords, a long one and a short one," said Ping. "He carries them because he's a son of a samurai family."

"Samurai?" Jimmy asked.

"They're a class within Japanese society that served their landlords," said Ping.

"Kind of like European knights," said Jimmy. "So samurai are like knights?"

"Yes, they are, "said Ping.

"What does he look like?" Jimmy asked. Ping relayed the question to the workers. Jimmy already had a good idea, but just wanted confirmation.

"He has orange hair and red eyes," said Ping. "He wears a traditional Japanese robe that has navy blue top and white pants." Jimmy was about to ask Ping another question, but then the foreman showed up again and Jimmy had to cut the conversation short.

"Did you have a good conversation?" The foreman asked Jimmy.

"Kind of," said Jimmy. "Most of the answers I already knew. And you cut me short before I could ask any other questions." Unbeknownst to the both of them, Ping was relaying the news of Kyo's wanted poster and the fact Jimmy was looking for him to the workers. The workers would eventually tell the Japanese workers, too. As Jimmy and the foreman rode away—in separate directions—the workers agreed to warn Kyo of Jimmy.

Ten minutes later, Kyo rode up to the construction site. The non-Asian workers continued on while the Chinese and Japanese workers gathered around him.

"Kyo-sama! Kyo-sama!" One worker said. Kyo tried to keep the workers calm as he got off his horse.

"Calm down, calm down," he said. "I have some food that my fiancé made for all of you, and I would like it if you could line up so I can hand you your rice."

"When do we tell him?" An older worker asked.

"When the time is right," Ping replied. The men waited for when they were done with their lunch and Kyo had been paid. "Kyo-sama," Ping said to him in Chinese.

"Hello Ping," Kyo said. "What is it?"

"Kyo, you're wanted," said Ping. "The sheriff of L'Amour has a price on your head." Once he heard Ping's words, Kyo's eyes widened in shock. Tohru was right! He was wanted. "Someone came here saying he was looking for you. Someone named Jimmy Michaels."

"What did he look like?" Kyo asked.

"Well, he's a white man," said Ping. "He has brown hair, slightly longer than the hair on the white men we've seen, he was wearing a shirt with the sleeves rolled up, a hat that looks like what the United States Cavalry soldiers wear, a tan colored vest, jeans and he had a pair of gunbelts." He was armed. Kyo had to be careful.

"Thank you Ping," said Kyo. "I'll be careful around him."

"Do be careful Kyo-sama," Ping said as Kyo got on his horse, and gathered the utensils he brought with him. Kyo urged his horse towards his and Tohru's cabin.

--

Kyo hurriedly rode to his and Tohru's cabin in order to tell Tohru. Ten minutes later, Kyo arrived at his cabin where Tohru was waiting for him.

"Oh, Kyo-kun!" She said as he entered the cabin. Her face changed quickly from happy to worry when she saw the look on his face. "What's wrong?"

"I'm wanted by the L'Amour sheriff," said Kyo. Tohru gasped at Kyo's news.

"Oh no!" She said. "Kyo-kun, we have to leave!"

"No!" He said. She recoiled, not in fear of him but _for_ him.

"But Kyo—,"

"Tohru, _bushido _says I should not flee from an enemy, for it brings dishonor upon me and my loved ones," said Kyo.

"But Kyo, this is America, not Japan!" She said.

"Tohru, I never said I was going to kill the man looking for me," said Kyo.

"That's good Kyo," she said. "I don't want to see you get hurt."

"I won't Tohru," he said. "I promise."

--

It was around late afternoon when Jimmy rode back into town on his new horse, which was named 'Bullet'. It was a good name, as the horse could not only ride fast, it could cover vast distances easily and it took a while for the horse to get tired. But the horse is not the focus. He was going to go to the sheriff's office and ask him about Kyo Sohma and why he was wanted. Jimmy really didn't think that Kyo was even a threat to the peace, just to foremen who abused their workers. He rode over to the sheriff's office and hitched his horse there and entered the sheriff's office.

"Hello there," said the sheriff. "What can I do for you?" the man looked like something right out of a Western movie. He wore tan leather pants and a jacket, a white hat and black leather boots. His sheriff's star shone brightly, reflecting the sunlight from another window. He looked like either Jimmy Stewart or Cary Grant [3]. He gave Jimmy a steely-eyed look and said, with a stern, gravely voice, "My name's Sheriff John Kane. How can I help you?"

"I'm asking about the wanted poster for Kyo Sohma," said Jimmy.

"Oh, yes, that," said Sheriff Kane. "What about it, have you seen him?"

"No, not yet," said Jimmy. "I was actually wondering why should you have it? Has he robbed any banks?"

"No."

"Has he killed anyone?"

"No."

"Has be attacked anyone?"

"Just some foremen, but he's usually gone easy on them."

"Then why's he wanted?"

"Do you have some sort of fixation on him?" The sheriff asked.

"No," said Jimmy. "I'm just saying that there are far worse criminals out there, I don't see why he's such a threat."

"Well to the railroad company he is," said Sheriff Kane. "To me, he doesn't really mean a whole lot, he's just giving the railroad company a hard time. I only have it up there because the railroad pressured me to put it up there. Really, if he's caught, I'll probably only have him fined."

"Okay then," said Jimmy. He turned to leave, but before he did, he turned around and asked, "By the way, do you need any deputies?"

Sheriff Kane laughed in response and said, "If I do need one, I'll call for you right away, got it?"

"Okay then, "said Jimmy as he walked back into the street. Jimmy felt the intense heat of the Arizona sun beating down on him like an open-air oven. It usually wasn't like this in Florida, particularly since Florida was much more humid than Arizona. He walked a few yards from the sheriff's office before he bumped into something firm, knocking the thing down and he came with it. Dazed, he shook his head and tried to get up. He looked over to see what he had bumped into. "Sorry about that," he said.

"That's okay," came the feminine voice. Jimmy looked to see whom he had bumped into. It was the general store clerk he met yesterday.

"You're Karen McKenzie, aren't you?" He asked.

"Oh, Jimmy Michaels," she said. "I almost didn't recognize you."

"That's okay," he said. "Let me help you with that," he said.

"No, I really don't—," she started to say, but he cut her off.

"I'm only trying to be polite," he said. "I just want a little appreciation."

"Okay then," she said.

"About Kyo Sohma," he began. "I don't think I'm going to turn him in."

"Why not?'

"He doesn't seem like a threat," said Jimmy. "All he'd get is a fine and I'd only get a small reward."

"How do you now this?" Karen asked.

"I talked to the sheriff," he replied. Karen's load that she was carrying was books mostly, which interested Jimmy. "What's with all the books?" Jimmy asked.

"I've got a lesson," she replied. "I'm not the one taking the lesson, I'm teaching."

"Oh really?" he asked. "Who?"

"Some Japanese girl who wants to learn English," she said. Jimmy listened as he picked up another book on the street. Then he reached over to another book but Karen's hand reached it first before Jimmy could get to it. But Jimmy didn't stop and his hand landed on top of hers. Their hands jumped away from each other like a jolt of electricity had passed through them. Embarrassed, Karen recoiled while Jimmy reached for the book. The books had all been collected and the two rose to their feet.

"Here are your books," said Jimmy.

"Thank you," she said. The two blushed furiously, and an awkward silence filled the air. The two tried to find their next words, but could barely do so. Finally, Karen said,

"I should go."

"You do that," Jimmy said. "Good bye."

"Good bye," she replied. Jimmy watched the lady leave for her lesson. After a few minutes, he left to the inn where he was staying until he found a place to live permanently. But he could not help but think about that lady Karen McKenzie.

--

"So what do you know about this Kyo Sohma feller?" The bartender asked Jimmy in the L'Amour saloon.

"Well the sheriff doesn't think he's a threat," said Jimmy. "He won't even give him jail if he's caught!"

"I'm not sure who's got it off worse—"

"This Sohma feller clearly has the advantage," said Jimmy. "He gets a dadgum fine if caught? It makes the railroad look like dadgum fools, if you ask me."

"What do you think is next, though?" A saloon patron asked.

"I reckon he's going to be on the dodge for a spell," said Jimmy. "I don't see why he would be so fool-hardy to come into town until the sheriff declares he's no longer wanted." He took a sip of his beer when he was done talking there.

"So what then?"

"What then?" Jimmy asked. "Well now I have my beer!" He took a gulp of the liquid to show the other patrons what he was up to.

"Aren't you going to find someone else to take in?" The bartender said.

"I'm not exactly a bounty hunter," Jimmy relied. "And I'm trying to settle here."

"Alright, alright, hold your horses," said the bartender.

"If I was going to take someone in, I'd go after that William Bonney feller," said Jimmy. "Hell, I faced him before, too."

"Really?" said one barfly. "What's he like?"

"Well first off, he's loco," said Jimmy. "Second, he's a hell of a shooter. I'm not sure even Wyatt Earp would have been a match for him."

"Dadgum," said one patron. "He must be good."

"And like I said, he's loco," said Jimmy. "When I got a look at his eyes, I could see just how crazed he was, like he enjoyed killing a man. I do not want to see that again."

"Goldangit, I wouldn't want to see that either," said a middle-aged cowboy.

"Let's just hope you don't," said Jimmy. "I met the guy in New Mexico just months ago, and let me tell you, he is one crazy feller."

--

With Tohru taking her English lessons, Kyo decided to walk into town. But because he was a wanted man, he had to hide his face; might as well use his _kasa_ tonight. L'Amour was silent tonight; most of the people were either at home or at the local drinking establishment, which the workers referred to as the saloon. He wasn't sure why they called it that. And it was one of the few English words he knew. He wanted to learn English, but he kept on forgetting to ask Tohru's teacher to help him. With the brim of his _kasa_ down over his eyes, it was difficult to see not only his eyes, but his hair as well.

Kyo walked down the street, not really caring about a destination. It was somewhat late, maybe around 10:00. Tohru's lessons tended to take a while. Or she had made dinner and/or tea for her teacher. Ever since they had left their homeland a year ago, Kyo had tried to make his fiancé as happy as he could, and part of that was to have her learn English. In Japan, this probably wouldn't have been allowed, at least with her family, anyway.

After walking a while, he came across the general store where Tohru said her teacher worked and where his wanted poster supposedly was. He looked at the wanted posters, mostly of men who clearly were criminals until he found one that had a picture of him, probably that time he and Tohru had that photograph together. He could not read the words on the poster, so he could not see that he was wanted alive for harassment. If he could read it he would have laughed at how silly the charges were, really. He did not notice the sheriff, just yards away, watching him. Well, actually, he did notice him.

Kyo froze, noticing that someone had seen him. He stood as perfectly still as he could, just staring under his hat at the sheriff. Whether or not the sheriff recognized him, he did not know, but the silence and tension were suffocating. Then, the sheriff touched the brim of his hat as if to say, 'howdy'. Kyo did the same with his hat and moved on as the sheriff went back into his office. As Kyo walked, he passed by the saloon again. That's when he overheard the conversation.

--

So I'll see you tomorrow, Jimmy?" Said the bartender as Jimmy left the saloon. Jimmy wasn't really drunk, he just wanted the one beer and to socialize at the saloon.

"I'll be here," said Jimmy. "If my name isn't Jimmy Michaels."

"Ssshh," the bartender shushed Jimmy, much to the latter's confusion. "You don't want to alert your enemies, do you?"

"What enemies?" Jimmy said. "I don't have enemies!" Jimmy turned around, walked away and said, "Good night, Matt."

--

Kyo could not believe it. It was Jimmy Michaels, the man who was looking for him. And the workers didn't tell him he was so young, almost Kyo's age. Kyo waited until the bartender was back inside the saloon before making his decision: he would kill, wound or warn Jimmy Michaels not to come near him. Silently, Kyo began to follow Jimmy like a ninja assassin.

--

Jimmy rubbed his eyes. It was getting late, and he wanted to get back to his room so he could get some sleep. The inn he stayed in was close to the general store and the sheriff's office, so he had a pretty good distance to walk still. He did not notice the figure closing in behind him.

--

Kyo stalked Jimmy as best he could, using he techniques he ninja cousin had taught him. While he couldn't exactly disappear—at least to Jimmy—he did have some speed that if necessary, he would hide behind a post if Jimmy looked. Sure enough, Jimmy looked behind him and Kyo ducked out of the way.

--

Whether it was his mind playing tricks on him, Jimmy couldn't tell. He could have sworn he heard someone following him. He turned around to see and nobody was behind him. He blinked a couple times to try and see if he was tired. The streets were mostly empty, and anyone behind him probably would have made some noise, the only noise being Jimmy's spurs if they touched the dirt. The only lights were the lights in the windows and the street lamps. Jimmy shook his head and adjusted his hat, wondering if he was paranoid and continued on.

--

Kyo let out a sigh of relief. The American thought he was crazy. Now was the time to strike. Usually, his _bushido_ mind set would have stopped him—this was clearly not a fair fight, as Jimmy did not have a sword—but his self-defense mindset overrode it. This man wanted to bring him in. He had to do something. Kyo stalked Jimmy again, this time walking more silently. With full knowledge that Jimmy was not going to see him, Kyo drew his Katana and prepared to attack. But he made a fatal mistake.

--

Suddenly, Jimmy noticed a shadow behind him. The shadow seemed to have a conical top, much like the hats the Chinese were wearing. Jimmy watched the shadow draw its sword from its waist. Oh no, it was going to try and kill him! Jimmy had to stay calm. The person making the shadow mostly likely didn't know Jimmy had noticed him. So Jimmy slowly reached for his trusty Colt Peacemaker in the holster on his right side. He had left the one for the left in his room. Slowly, Jimmy prepared to draw.

--

Kyo raised his sword up, ready to strike. Kyo decided that if he was going to do so, he would yell as soon as he was ready to bring his sword down upon Jimmy. If needed, he would give Jimmy his _wakizashi _to make it something of a fair fight.

--

With time possibly running out, Jimmy knew he had to draw soon and catch this guy, whoever he was, off guard. The shadow was already raising its sword up, ready to attack. Jimmy slowly reached for his Colt. He was going to wait until the right moment.

--

The time was right. Kyo would strike now! Kyo opened his mouth and prepared to yell, letting out only little—before suddenly, there was a motion like a whirlwind that caught Kyo off guard. Kyo tried to attack, but he could not get it off. That's when he heard the gun cock. Instead of brining his sword down, he was on the wrong end of the situation, facing Jimmy Michaels, who was facing him with a determined look on his face. And Kyo also found himself on the wrong end of a gun, staring down the black end of the barrel of a Colt Peacemaker.

--

Notes

[1] Better known as Billy the Kid.

[2] I know Gary Cooper was not alive at this point, but I'm using that anyway.

[3] The same with these two.

First _Fruits Basket _Western, baby! Woo-hoo! Check that, make that first _real _Western. Ha ha!


	2. Shootout!

When his would-be assailant started to yell, that's when Jimmy acted. With his quick hands, Jimmy drew his Colt from its holster and then pivoted on his left foot to his left side. And now he was facing down his assailant with his right side facing him, his gun pointed right at the feller's face. His would-be assailant was caught off guard by Jimmy's sudden move, clearly showing that Jimmy had succeeded in catching him off guard. Now instead of his attacker having the advantage, Jimmy glared at his would-be assailant, while his opponent looked at him with his red eyes. His opponent kept his sword raised in the air as if ready to strike still. But now he was frozen by Jimmy's sudden move. Jimmy could not tell, but he suspected that this might be that Kyo Sohma feller that was so famous.

Normally, Jimmy would have pulled the trigger by now. But the fact that his opponent still had his weapon raised meant he could just as easily kill Jimmy could kill him. Although he could see his opponent's eyes, the straw hat his opponent was wearing mostly obscured them.

--

Kyo himself stayed perfectly still. He had never been on the receiving end of a gun before, so this was not only new to him, it was practically terrifying. He was stood perfectly still, hoping that Jimmy Michaels would put his gun away, but the American did not move, flinch or twitch, as if trying to match Kyo's movements—even though neither of them had moved yet. The situation turned into a two-person standoff, both of them skilled in their respective fields of combat, but neither wanting to receive or deliver the first blow.

Kyo wanted to strike, but the obvious fear of getting his head blown off before he could do so prevented him. Jimmy, meanwhile, wanted to shoot Kyo but that sword was looking mighty dangerous. The two stared at each other, as if playing some kind of mental chess match, even though the only move was not to move at all. But the game was not as low-stakes as one might think. One wrong move by either of them and it might be the end. But this standoff came to end an end, anyway. Not because one was killed, but because of outside involvement.

"What's going on here?" Came a voice from behind Kyo. The two opponents stopped their little mind game and looked to see who it was. A pair of horses rode up towards them, both ridden by women. Then one rider got off her horse and ran towards the two.

"Kyo-kun!" Said the figure. Kyo instantly recognized who it was.

"Tohru!" He called to his fiancé. "Don't come near!" But he couldn't stop her, as she ran up to the both of them anyway, and in a move that surprised both Kyo and Jimmy, positioned herself between Jimmy and Kyo, holding her arms out. "Tohru, what are you doing?" Kyo said to her. "He's pointing a gun at you!"

"If you dare hurt my Kyo-kun," Tohru said. "I will not be merciful on you!" But her threat fell on deaf ears when Jimmy, in the ultimate declaration of defiance said,

"Wha?" Tohru slapped herself mentally. Jimmy did not speak a word of Japanese! Now her threat seemed more foolish, since he didn't understand a word she just said. But she decided to try again, this time in English.

"Don't… hurt…" she said her words slowly so she could know what she was saying. "…Kyo."

Jimmy looked at the woman in confusion. What did she say? It sounded like… Jimmy threw his head back and let out an exasperated sigh. She had told him not to hurt him. "Why?"

"You coot, you're still pointing your gun at them!" Came another voice. Jimmy recognized this one, now.

"Karen, what are you doing here?" he said.

"You're pointing your gun at them!" Karen said again, this time to pound it in. Jimmy sighed again, realizing how stupid he was for keeping the two at gunpoint. Jimmy holstered his gin, to the confusion of Tohru and Kyo, who lowered his sword.

"Do you know these two?" Jimmy said to Karen.

"Yes, I do," she replied. "That lady is the person I'm teaching English!"

"Oooohhh, okay!" Said Jimmy. "So you know this feller?"

"Yes, I do," said Karen. "This is Kyo Sohma."

"Now wait just a dadgum minute here!" Jimmy yelled. "You mean to tell me that you and Kyo Sohma were already acquaintances?"

"I never said we were," Karen said. "I don't really know him that well, just Tohru."

"Well, why didn't you tell me?" Jimmy almost yelled. 'We could have avoided this fuss if you had told me!"

"I don't even know you that well!" Karen said. Jimmy hung his head in stupidity, knowing she was right.

"Alright then, how about you and I get acquainted, and you get the rest of us acquainted?" He said.

"Gladly," she said in response. She quickly turned to Tohru and said in Japanese, "Tohru, this is Jimmy Michaels. He's the person who's been looking for Kyo." Too bad that didn't work, because Tohru knew who he was, too.

"He wants to turn in my Kyo-kun!" She said in Japanese. Karen quickly relayed this to Jimmy.

"Horse feathers!" Said Jimmy. "_He,_" he pointed at Kyo. "Tried to bushwhack me from behind!" Karen relayed the words to Tohru, who quickly got a shocked look on her face. She turned to Kyo and said to him,

"You tried to kill him?"

"He wanted to turn me in!" Said Kyo. "I would have given him a sword to fight back with, too!"

"By the way, tell them the sheriff doesn't even think Mr. Sohma's even worth having a wanted poster," Jimmy said to Karen. "I didn't even think he was worth bringing in." She replayed the words to Tohru, who got even more surprised.

"You mean… he's not exactly wanted?" She said.

"That's what Jimmy here says," said Karen. Kyo and Tohru looked at Karen in shock. Apparently, thinking you were wanted and then finding out you weren't must be one hell of a mood whiplash. Or something a lot like that. Speaking of which, the sheriff himself stepped out of his office, walking over to the general store where the wanted posters were.

"Howdy Sheriff Kane," Jimmy said to him. "What are you up to?"

"I'm taking Kyo Sohma's wanted poster down," he replied. "The judge says he's not interested in pressing charges against him and he thinks the railroad company's just being crybabies." Jimmy and Karen sniggered at that last bit, while Kyo and Tohru watched in confusion. Karen quickly told Kyo and Tohru what had happened and they let out a sigh in relief that Kyo was no longer wanted.

"So Kyo-kun's safe?" Tohru asked Karen. Karen quickly relayed to Jimmy and Jimmy replied,

"Yeah. In fact, he probably would have gotten a fine if brought in." Karen replayed this to the two. The two sighed and then it was back to the little matter of Kyo trying to attack Jimmy.

"Why did you try to kill him?" Tohru asked Kyo. "Do you know what kind of trouble you would have gotten into?"

"Tohru, I'm sorry," he said. "I thought he would come after us."

"But he wasn't even interested!" Tohru said.

"I didn't know!" Kyo said in return.

"Should we stop this?" Jimmy asked Karen.

"No, this is just a domestic fuss," she replied. Sheriff Kane walked past all four of them, shaking his head at the Japanese couple having a discussion on the street as if it wasn't even important. Well, it wasn't to him, at least.

After a few minutes of discussion, Kyo stepped out from behind Tohru. Jimmy motioned for his gun, but suddenly, Kyo bent over at a 45-degree angle and said, "_Goman nasai."_[1]

"What?" Jimmy asked. Kyo knew Jimmy must not have understood, so he said to Karen,

"Tell him I'm sorry for trying to kill him! I didn't know he wasn't after me!" Karen quickly relayed Kyo's statement to Jimmy, to which the American groaned in realization.

"Alright, apology accepted," Jimmy said. Karen relayed it back to Kyo, who quickly bowed back to Jimmy.

"I think you should bow back," Karen said to Jimmy. Jimmy did so, albeit awkwardly, which was evident on Kyo and Tohru's face.

"But he'd better not do it again, otherwise I'll make sure he's buzzard food," said Jimmy.

"I'm not going to tell him you want to kill him!" Karen said to him.

"Then at least tell him a vague threat!" He replied. Karen groaned and turned to Kyo.

"He says if you ever try to attack him again, he'll punch you," she said in Japanese.

"Thank you, McKenzie-san," said Kyo as he bowed to her, which she returned. Tohru came up to her and said,

"Thank you for the lesson, McKenzie-san."

"You're welcome Tohru," Tohru then turned to Jimmy and bowed.

"_Mikurusu-san_," she said, unable to pronounce 'Michaels'. "I'm sorry…" she paused so Karen could guide her through it. "For what happened tonight." She bowed as she finished her statement

Jimmy cocked his right eyebrow, impressed at how well she spoke it--even though she had Karen's help. "It's no big deal," he said. Tohru bowed again, and then ran off to catch Kyo. That left Karen and Jimmy out on the street alone. "So is she any good at English?" He asked, regarding Tohru.

"Sort of," Karen replied. "She's still beginning though, but she can form basic sentence structures."

"Just one more thing," Jimmy said. "How do you know Japanese?"

"My daddy worked for the United States ambassador to Japan for years," Karen said. 'I lived in Japan, and naturally, I learned up the language." Jimmy nodded in response, as it was a good reason.

--

A while later, Kyo and Tohru returned to their little homestead outside of town. Kyo offered to carry his bride-to-be inside, as she was getting tired. She agreed, and Kyo proceeded to carry her in the cabin as she relaxed in his arms. "I'm sorry for what happened Tohru," he said softly. "But you should be glad I didn't let my anger get in the way."

"That's okay Kyo-kun," she said in return with a tired voice. "But you should be more cautious."

"I know," he replied. In the year since they came to America, she was the one who most wanted to live peacefully. Kyo did what he could to make her happy—although he did put his foot down when he needed to—and to protect her. "I just wanted to protect you Tohru, my sweet little butterfly." Tohru smiled at his words, especially his pet name for her.

--

A week passed before Kyo went into town again, this time, though, not as a fugitive. He wore his conical _kasa _again, as it shielded him from the hot sun. Surely, it was never this hot or sunny in Japan. At least that he can remember. Kyo gingerly walked through the streets of town, trying not to bump into anyone he came across. If he did bump into them, he would give a quick bow and a _gomen nasai_. Usually, the people ignored him though, some just thinking he was another Oriental man or they just didn't understand him. Because L'Amour was somewhat alien to him, he could not find a place that he could go that was familiar to him. He found one place, though, that seemed interesting. It was the place that had his wanted poster up a week ago before it had been taken down. Kyo opened the door, and was surprised when the door rang. "Coming!" Came a voice. But because he didn't speak English, he mostly ignored it. "Can I get you something?" Came the same voice. Kyo turned around just to look at whom it was. But then he recognized the person behind the counter, as did she. "Oh, Kyo, how are you?" Said Karen. "What are you here for?"

"What is this?" Kyo asked.

"This is the general store," Karen replied. "Do you need anything?"

"No, not really," he replied. "Where's _Mikurusu-san_?"

"You mean Jimmy? He's probably at the saloon having lunch," Karen said.

"Saloon?" He asked, but it came out more like 'saroon'.

"Yeah, he tends to go there from time to time," she replied.

"Oh, okay then," Kyo replied.

--

Speaking of Jimmy, he was eating lunch at the saloon at this very moment. It was a portion of his favorite meal, fried chicken, some potatoes and a sassafras root beer. Jimmy really didn't have much of a worry right now, as he simply thought that he didn't have any problems here. Of course he did keep his guns with him, as the west has a reputation for being a nasty place. But he did not hear the French doors open behind him, nor did he notice the firm footfalls coming towards him. All he heard was the din of the saloon patrons and the piano playing in the corner, He did not notice anything until he felt somebody tap his hand. "What?" He asked.

"You Jimmy Michaels?" Came a voice.

"Yes I am, so?" He asked with a hostile voice. "Can't you see I'm tryin' to eat?" But he was answered when he felt cold metal on his temple. "What is it?"

'You owe me money!" Said the man holding the gun to Jimmy's head. He wore a navy blue jacket over a red vest and a bow tie and navy blue pants. He did not have a gun belt, as the gun he was holding to Jimmy's head was a derringer.

"I don't even know you!" Jimmy said to him. "Why should I owe you money?"

"You took from my whorehouse, you took from me!" He said.

"What whorehouse?" Said Jimmy, now turning to him.

"You know, the one in Albuquerque?"

"Nope," Jimmy said in response, turning around to eat his lunch. "Now go away, I'm trying to eat."

"Well then, if you can't remember," the man motioned to two men in the corner—which Jimmy didn't notice. "Then I'll make you remember." Jimmy froze when he felt a pair of hands on his shoulders.

"Uh-oh."

--

Kyo walked down the street towards the saloon. He wasn't going there, it was on the way to his and Tohru's homestead. He had purchased some supplies for Tohru, mostly for knitting or some feed for the animals they kept there. He stayed on the boardwalk, since there were quite a few horses and some wagons in the street. His walk was starting to look uneventful. "YYYYYYAAAAAAAHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!" Until the relative peace was shattered when a figure came flying out of the French doors of the saloon. "OOF!" The body landed in the street, creating a dust cloud as he hit the ground. "That hurt," he said. Kyo examined the figure that had been thrown out of the saloon. He kind of looked like Jimmy Michaels. "I believe I had a hat!" He yelled to the saloon. At that point, a black hat flew out of the saloon. "Thank you," he said as he picked up his hat, dusted it off and put it back on.

"You still won't pay me?" Said another voice coming out of the saloon. He was flanked by two big men, one who was cracking his knuckles. The two men who were flanking him had a sinister air about them and they wore black duster coats and black hats.

"No, dadgummit, I already said I don't know you!" Said the figure who had been thrown out of the saloon. "Now leave me alone!"

"No," said the man in the doorway. For some reason, he didn't seem that threatening. Kyo thought that his glasses and smaller frame than the two men flanking him sort of reduced his intimidating aura. "Not until you pay me for stealing from my whorehouse."

"I said I don't know what you're talking about," said the other person. He was trying to back away from the situation, which Kyo could tell, even though he didn't understand a word any of them were saying, but from what he could tell, the man wearing the glasses was threatening the man who had been thrown out of the saloon.

"You will know," said the man wearing the glasses. He snapped his fingers, and a few new thugs appeared, flanking him again, and they slowly advanced on him, reaching for their guns.

--

Jimmy was in trouble. This man, whoever he was, just wouldn't leave him alone. What whorehouse? He hadn't stolen from any whorehouse! Sure, he'd won some money from a feller in Albuquerque, but that—then it hit him. It was possible that man he won the money from might have worked for this feller threatening him. But Jimmy had no intention of paying him. "If you're thinking about that money I won," Jimmy said. "Then forget it, I won that game fair and square!" While he was saying this, Jimmy slowly reached for his gun.

The man threatening him laughed. "The man you won that money from stole from me. And I already took care of him," he said. A chill ran down Jimmy's spine, knowing this man had killed. "And now it's your turn!" He motioned to the two thugs next to him.  
"Take him out, boys." The men flanking him advanced on Jimmy, preparing to draw their guns. Jimmy surveyed the scene, looking for a place to take cover if the shooting started.

The men stopped about ten feet from Jimmy, ready to draw. Jimmy looked around, still trying to find cover. He was no yellow belly, but it was better to be safe then sorry. When the men reached for their weapons, that's when Jimmy sprung. With a lightning fast move, Jimmy grabbed his gun from his holster and fired. That's when the other men drew their guns, although they had reached for their guns around the same time as Jimmy had. The sound of the guns firing filled the air, and the townspeople fled the scene.

--

Kyo was not one of the people fleeing, instead preferring to take cover behind a post. He watched the man who had fired first move towards a barrel, firing at his assailants at the same time. He moved slowly, as he was trying to aim his gun at the other men firing at him. Four against one is not exactly a fair fight, considering one of the men firing had a shotgun. But the bullets somehow missed him, as he ran to the barrel and ducked behind it, taking the time to load his weapon. Kyo got a good look at the man hiding behind the barrel—he flinched as a pair of rounds whizzed past—and was surprised to find out it was Jimmy Michaels. Now what he be doing getting into a gun battle with some thugs? But Jimmy didn't stay there long. As soon as he was done loading his pistol, he darted out from behind the barrel, just as a shotgun blast struck the barrel.

Jimmy darted away, which Kyo could not conceive—the man was acting like a coward!—until he turned around and started shooting the thugs again, this time, shooting the gun out of one of the thug's hands, leaving him grasping it in pain. _Impressive_, Kyo thought to himself.

Jimmy ducked again, but still got a shot off, striking one thug. Jimmy smiled, thinking he was dead—but the thug got up again, much to Jimmy's immense disappointment. "Goddammit!" He yelled.

"Those aren't very kind words, Jimmy," said the man with the glasses. "Give it u already!"

"Haven't I already made my answer clear?" Jimmy asked. "And in case you forgotten, here it is!" Jimmy fired a shot at the man, which missed—deliberately.

"You missed!" Said the man.

"But you get my point!" Jimmy said back.

"Legs, Louie," he said to two other enforcers. "You know what to do."

"What?" Jimmy said, before realizing they were carrying Winchesters. The two enforcers opened fire, sending Jimmy running for cover. "Dammit!" He cursed once behind another barrel.

Although Kyo felt he should not get involved, it was clear Jimmy was in over his head. Even with the largest enforcer bleeding, there was no way Jimmy could beat these guys, even with his shooting skills. Even though Kyo had not seen much of them. So, Kyo did the only thing he could do and reached for his _katana…_

--

"Give it up, Michaels!" Said what-ever-his-name-was. Even with his skills, Jimmy couldn't seem to kill them. His aim must have been off today, because had it been a normal day, they would have all been dead before they could get a shot off. And now Jimmy was caught on the wrong end of the situation, facing some pimp he didn't even know who wanted some money that he had won fair and square. What a pain in the ass.

"No!" Jimmy said again., just to reiterate. "Now leave me alone or I'll—"

"Or what?" said the pimp. "You're crouching behind a barrel, you yellow-bellied coward!" Ouch. Two insults. "Come on out, if you're man enough, Michaels! I heard you were one of the best shots in all the West, now look at you. Cowering behind a barrel like a scared little jackrabbit!" His enforcers laughed alongside him, continuing their mocking. "Come on, you yellow-bellied coward! Fight like a man!" Their taunting was about to work when Jimmy heard one of the yell,

"What in tarnation!?" That was new. Then heard a scream of pain. It wasn't ghastly, but it was more of an "OW!" Curious, Jimmy looked up from behind his hiding place to see that Kyo Sohma feller confronting the pimp and his enforcers. How could he tell it was Kyo Sohma? Because he could see the feller's orange hair and he recognized those robes he was wearing. Sohma was holding the same sword he threatened Jimmy with a week prior.

"What's that c**** doing here?" Said the pimp.

"He's Japanese, not Chinese, you coot!" Jimmy said as his head popped out from behind the barrel. A shot rang out, forcing Jimmy back behind the barrel. "Dadgummit!"

"Now, where were we, oh yes," the pimp said. "Legs, Louie, advance on him. And do what you want." The two enforcers he called on began to walk towards Kyo. Jimmy watched from behind the barrel, thinking Sohma wasn't going to stand a chance. But Kyo stood fast, as if nothing could touch him. He raised his sword up, took a deep breath, and lunged at his opponent.

It all happened so fast, that Jimmy had no clue what happened.

--

Kyo lunged at the enforcer named Louie. The man aimed his Winchester at Kyo, but Kyo swung his _katana _at the rifle, actually striking it and knocking it out of his hands. Louie tried to punch Kyo, but the wind was knocked out of him when Kyo thrust the butt end of the handle into Louie's gut.

The thug tumbled over on to the ground, sending a clear message to the other three enforcers. Kyo turned to them, and in a steely voice said, "_Iku ze_." [2]

Legs, the other enforcer mention by name, came right at Kyo, trying to punch him, but Kyo quickly dodged Legs' attack and just like he did with Louie, knocked his gun, a Colt Peacemaker, out of his hands with his _katana_, then gave him a powerful punch right to his midsection, knocking him out as well. The next enforcer tried to catch him off guard, but Kyo swung around like a cyclone and with a and excellently executed backhanded swing, knocked his gun out as well, before kicking him in the gut. The last one, the one Jimmy had shot in the stomach, was about to attack Kyo, but his wound proved to be too costly, as it was now clear that he had lost a good deal of blood.

But even that didn't stop him. He still had a good deal of strength, almost enough to take out even he befell the same fate as his comrades, as his shotgun was swatted out his hands by Kyo. And Kyo didn't even need to finish him off, either. The enforcer just fell to the ground, quivering at Kyo.

The pimp, meanwhile, was shaking in his boots. Mind you, this all happened with in _thirty seconds_. Nobody was that fast. And Jimmy was watching all of it. "What in tarnation was that?" He said. But the shock of what just happened was replaced when he realized the enforcers were out of commission. Now it was time for him to act, and fast.

The pimp faced down Kyo. Actually, it was more of the reverse, Kyo was staring the pimp down and the pimp was shaking like a leaf on a tree. He never thought he'd be without his bodyguards, and being stared down at sword point, not even from a foreigner. The pimp tried to make a motion to run, but he heard the cock of a gun to his left. There was Jimmy, his gun pointed at him, and looking awful mad. "You got nowhere to run now!" Jimmy said. "Not so tough without your goons now, are you? I suggest you scurry on out of here, you yellow bellied coward. If you can't cowboy up and face him, then make like a mouse and scurry on out of here." The pimp, knowing he was beat, ran away from the scene, his tail between his legs. Kyo, his job done, sheathed his _katana _while Jimmy re-holstered his gun. "Well now," said Jimmy. "That was some mighty fine sword swingin'."

Kyo stayed silent, since he did not understand what Jimmy had just said. Jimmy laughed at himself, as he just remembered that little factoid. "Oh right, I forgot," he said. 'You can't understand me. Well, you might as well understand this." Jimmy took a step back from Kyo and much to the Japanese man's surprise, bowed before him. "Thanks for helping me," Jimmy said after his bow. That's when Jimmy stuck out his hand to Kyo. Kyo, not knowing about this, just looked confused.

"I heard the fuss, what happened?" Came a voice from behind them. Jimmy turned to notice Karen McKenzie running towards them.

"Oh, miss McKenzie, howdy," he said.

"What happened?" She asked.

"Had a little argument, got into a shootout and this feller here," he pointed at Kyo. "Saved my skin."

"He did?" Karen asked in surprise.

"Yep," Jimmy replied. "And I was just thanking him for that. I already bowed, but I probably need to tell him again."

"Let me do that for you," Karen said. She turned to Kyo and said to him, in Japanese, "Kyo, Jimmy says 'thank you' for helping him."

"Oh, then he is welcome," Kyo said. Karen relayed Kyo's words back to Jimmy.

"Well that's good!" Said Jimmy. At the same time, the sheriff, who had heard the shootout, came out to see what was going on.

"What happened?" he said.

"Shootout, Sheriff Kane," said Jimmy. "It's been taken care of."

"Well, if that don't beat all," said the sheriff. "I know these men, they're wanted in 3 states and two territories!"

"Really?" Said Jimmy. "Well their boss just ran that way," he pointed in the direction the pimp ran away.

"Oh really?" said Sheriff kane. "What about him?" He motioned towards Kyo.

"He saved my hide," said Jimmy. "And he was fast too, it was all over in no time when he got done with these clowns."

"He did?" Sheriff Kane said with surprise. "I reckon I should be glad he was pardoned."

"I am," Jimmy said. "They had me out-manned and out-gunned and he took them out with no effort at all."

"Well I'll be damned," Sheriff Kane said. "Would he be able to understand him?"

"I can translate for you," said Karen. "I speak Japanese."

"You do, huh? Well then tell him I appreciate his services." Kare replayed the sheriff's words to Kyo. Kyo bowed and said,

"You're welcome sheriff," which Karen quickly relayed.

"Now then," said Sheriff kane. "Reckon I'll take these boys into custody."

"Good idea," said Jimmy. "I reckon you're going to need our help?"

"If you'd please," said the sheriff.

--

Fifteen minutes later, Jimmy, Karen and Kyo walked back towards the saloon. Jimmy had remembered that had yet to finish his lunch, and he was feeling mighty hungry. He reckoned he forgot he was hungry during the shootout. Saving your life always takes precedence over hunger. "I have to finish my lunch," he said. "I just hope it wasn't removed from my table."

"Probably has been," said Karen. That little bit didn't suit too well with Jimmy. He didn't yell at her, he just wasn't happy.

"Dagnabbit, and that was some damn good friend chicken, too!" He said.

"Don't use that goddamn language in front of a dadgum lady!" Karen replied.

"Well you're using it!" Jimmy replied. Kyo simply watched the two, having absolutely no clue what was going on. He ignored the two and picked up his _kasa_ and was about tot put it on, when Karen said,

"Alright! I'll ask him! Kyo, Jimmy's inviting you to have lunch with us. Do you want to join us?"

Kyo looked at the two, seriously considering doing so, but he remembered he had to get back to Tohru. "I am sorry," he said. "I must be getting back to Tohru with our supplies."

"Oh, that's right!" Karen exclaimed. She ran over to the boardwalk, where Kyo's supplies happened to be. "Here you go."

Kyo bowed to the both of them, which Karen returned—and had to hit Jimmy in order for him to do so. "So long," Kyo said.

"So long," she replied.

"See you," said Jimmy as Kyo departed. "So, do you want to get a drink?" He asked Karen.

"Um, I have to manage my store," she replied. She seemed to hesitate, as if she was looking for an excuse.

"Oh come on!" He said to her as she left.

"Good bye, Jimmy!" Jimmy let out an exasperated sigh, clearly not happy with her leaving him like that. But, he might was well go back in the saloon and see if his chow was still on the table.

--

About 100 yards away, Kyo could very faintly hear a "GODAMMIT!" His first assumption was that it was Jimmy.

--

Sometime later, Kyo finally arrive at his Tohru's homestead. "Kyo-kun!" Came a voice from the cabin. Tohru had a worried, yet relieved look on her face when Kyo arrived back. "Where were you? You said it wasn't going to take you very long!"

"I'm sorry Tohru," he said to her. "I got in a gun battle and I have to save someone."

"Really?" She said. "Who?"

"Jimmy Michaels."

"You saved his life?" Tohru's face brightened, like the sun had risen up, much to Kyo's surprise. "Then you must have forgiven him!"

"Forgiven?" He said confused. "He didn't even want to arrest me in the first place, remember?"

"Oh, that's right," she said. "But did you get the supplies I needed?"

"Yes I did," he said.

"Thank you, Kyo-kun!" She said as she hugged him.

"You're welcome Tohru."

--

"I tell ya, that feller was incredible!" Jimmy said to some of the saloon patrons later that night. "It was as if he was a twister or something!"

"He was?" Said one patron. "Are you sure you ain't boshin' us?"

"This ain't horse feathers," Jimmy replied. "That feller saved my skin, and he looked damn skilled doin' it, too."

"Are you sure you don't have any fixation on him?" Said another patron.

"The only fixation I got is on that Karen McKenzie gal," Jimmy said. "But right now, I wouldn't say I love her. But she is one hell of a gal."

"You and Karen McKenzie?" Said another patron, this time laughing skeptically. "I highly doubt it! She's a hot-tempered gal."

"I know that," said Jimmy. "She's got one filthy mouth, too. But I bet she's also one hell of a shot, too."

"Well good luck with her," said another patron. "Yer're gonna need it son."

--

Notes

[1] Don't you dare accuse me of wapanese. As you can see, Jimmy clearly cannot understand just what the hell Kyo says at first, and I am using it correctly.

[2] "Let's go".

And if you're confused about the slang, I suggest you look up an old west slang dictionary, because I am not going to explain every singe word.


	3. Gunfight at the Sohma Farm

"_You killed her! It's your fault she's dead!"_

_"No, it's not my fault! I didn't do it!"_

_"You liar! You know full well what you've done!"_

_"It's not my fault! I swear!"_

_"You keep telling yourself that! You know the truth!"_

_"No! No! I'm not to blame! It's not my fault! It's not! MY! **FAULT!!!**"_

--

"No!" Kyo awoke with a start. He wiped his brow, wondering what just happened. He felt the cold sweat on his forehead as he wiped his brow. What a nightmare. And he had hoped he would never have to deal with that ever again.

"Kyo-kun?" Came a voice to his right. "Are you alright?" The look in his fiance's eyes told Kyo that Tohru was genuinely worried for her betrothed.

"I think so," he said. "I had that dream again."

"Oh Kyo," she said. "I wish I could end your pain."

"You already have Tohru," he said to her. She smiled, once again brightening up his life like no person had before her.

--

It was three days after Jimmy's incident with the angry pimp that more trouble blew into L'Amour. This time, the trouble was closer to Kyo. Once again, we find Jimmy having lunch in the saloon. After the previous incident, Jimmy was more cautious about who came up to him. He was eating some bison meat, corn and potatoes when he heard the the French doors open wide. Most of the sounds in the saloon continued, but a few stopped, which made him suspicious. But he didn't worry about it anyway. That's when he felt the tap on his shoulder. "What?" He said, turning around. "I already said I'm not--who in tarnation are you?"

There were six men, all of them wearing Japanese clothing and appearing to be Japanese. One had a small pony-tail or what ever that thing was and was a slim feller. Another was completely bald, save for some graying hair on the side and seemed to be the oldest of the group. The other was a tall, fat man that towered over the rest. Another had a full head of hair, his hair tied up in a little pony tail or whatever that was and a muscular build, which Jimmy thought to be the leader of the group. One had another full head of hair and was slightly smaller than the suspected leader, and the last one kind of looked like a lady. "What do you want?" He asked.

"Are you Jimmy Michaels?" The suspected leader asked him.

"How do you know my name?" Said Jimmy. "And how do you speak English?"

"We have our ways," said the leader. Jimmy suspected he might have been talking about the railroad workers. Jimmy could tell that there was something rotten about these fellers and he kept his right hand near his gun.

"Who are you?" He asked.

"Who are we?" The leader said. "We are nobody. Just wanderers." But Jimmy was no fool. These guys were up to something, and he reckoned it wasn't anything charitable. "Why must you be skeptical of us?"

"I know a bad feller when I see one," Jimmy said. "And you're not exactly giving yourself a nice appearance, I can tell there's some kind of trouble about you."

"Why must you be so skeptical?" Said the leader. "We just want to know where Kyo Sohma is."

"Kyo Sohma?" Jimmy said. "I don't reckon I've ever seen where he lives, so I can't tell you. But even if I did, I still wouldn't tell you."

"Oh, what's the word, 'dadgummit'," he said. "I really wish we could be on better terms. I just want to know where Kyo Sohma is."

"Can't you seem I'm having lunch right now?" Jimmy said, trying to end the conversation. "It's mighty rude to interrupt someone when they're eating. And again, I'm not telling you anything."

"You will tell us," he said, starting to get threatening. "We have our ways of making you tell."

"You're missing the point," said Jimmy, his voice getting firmer. "I don't know where he lives. And if I did, because you don't seem very friendly, I wouldn't tell you anyway." It was at that point that Jimmy stood up and drew his Colt from his holster. "Now get out. This may not be my saloon, but I can tell Matt over there doesn't want you here." He gestured over to the bar area, where Matt, the bartender, was getting his shotgun ready.

"Well now," he said. "I can tell we're not wanted here. Then I guess we'll leave and ask someone else." He said something in Japanese to his associates and the group left the saloon. Jimmy waited until they were truly gone to put his gun away.

"Finally," Jimmy said to himself. With the pests gone, he went back to eating. But something was troubling him about those men. Who the hell were they? And why were they after Sohma? He continued to mull over what they were talking about for a few more minutes about what they were talking about. He had no idea where Kyo Sohma lived. But he reckon--oh, no. Jimmy's eyes widened in shock. Karen! She knew where he lived. And there was a good possibility those bad eggs might go after her! Once again, his lunch would have to be discarded for a more important reason--They might go after Karen!

"Hey Jimmy, what about your lunch?" Matt said to him as he got up to leave.

"Forget about it!" He said. "I've got more important things to worry about!" As soon as he said that, he bolted out the door and into the street in the direction of Karen's general store. He did not see the men he had seen earlier, which was clearly not a good sign. He wasn't sure, but he suspected those bad eggs might have gotten to Karen by now.

--

Unfortunately, Jimmy was right. Karen was working in her store, just after selling some new hammers to a railroad employee when the men entered. "Can I help--" she started to say, but once she saw the men enter, she stopped. "Who are you?" She asked in Japanese.

"Oh, you speak our tongue," said the leader, also in Japanese. "Don't mind us, really, we just want to find something."

"Really?" She asked. "What is it you want? If you want guns, I only sell ammunition."

"We aren't looking for that," he replied. "Our query is different."

"If you're looking for the rice, it's over there." She pointed to some large sacks, which she hoped would be enough to get them away. But it didn't work.

"We're not interested in that either," he replied.

"Then what?" She asked. She started to reach for her shotgun which was hidden behind the counter. These fellers looked dangerous, and they could easily take her out if they wanted to. But just then--

"KAREN!!!" The door burst open, revealing--

"Jimmy!" She said. 'What are you doing here?" Jimmy was breathing heavily after sprinting the entire distance between the saloon and Karen's store.

"Those men.." he said in between breaths. "Are after... Kyo! I think... they want... to beef him!" Karen gasped in shock, at the revelation that they probably wanted to kill Kyo. The gang, meanwhile, was angry at Jimmy for busting their plan. In response, Karen quickly grabbed her double-barreled shotgun and pointed it at them.

"Get out," she said in Japanese. "_Now._"

"Watch it, lady!" Said the leader.

"There's no way I'm telling you where Kyo Sohma is!" She said in English. "I'd rather die than give up the location of Kyo's home!"

"Karen, I don't think that's a good negotiation tactic," Jimmy said. "Because these fellers just might make you keep your word."

"He's right wench!" Said the leader as he drew his sword. Karen's eyes widened in fear, but she kept her fingers on the triggers of her shotgun. "Now tell us where he is or you won't--" Just then, a shot rang out. The man's sword tumbled out of his hands, which caught him by surprise. He looked to his left and noticed Jimmy holding his Colt, the barrel smoking.

"If you lay a finger on her," he said in an angry voice. "I will not aim for the sword the next time."

"Like I said," Karen said, cocking her shotgun. "Get out. **_Now!_**"

"Alright then," said the leader. "We'll take our leave." He grabbed his sword, sheathed it and urged his associates outside and the six of them departed. Afterwards, Jimmy holstered his gun. Jimmy and Karen waited a few minutes until they were clearly out of sight.

"We should warn Kyo and Tohru," Karen said.

"I agree," Jimmy replied. "But we can't go through town, they'll not only see us, they might track the horses."

"I have some horses out back," she said. "I think yours might be among them."

"You mean Bullet?" He asked. "Alight then. Let's go!" Jimmy was about to run to the back when Karen said,

"Wait!" She reached for something behind the counter and tossed it to him. Jimmy caught the object, a rifle, and looked it over. He whistled in an impressed tone while looking at it.

"A Winchester!" Jimmy said. "Seventy-three! I do believe this is the most romantic--"

"We don't have time for that!" She said as she gave him the saddle holster for the Winchester.

"Is it loaded though?" He asked.

"Just loaded it this morning," she said as the two entered the stable. Jimmy found Bullet, much to the horse's delight, as it walked up to greet him.

"Hey boy, how ya been?" He said. He looked over to Karen and noticed she wasn't positioned for side-saddle. "You don't ride side-saddle?"

"Too encumbering," she said. "Besides, with what I'm wearing," she gestured to the jeans she was wearing. "I don't need to."

"Oh well, then," Jimmy said as he mounted Bullet and attached the Winchester holster to Bullet's saddle. "We ride hard, and we ride fast. You ready?"

"More than ready," she replied. She kicked her horse with her spurs, saying, "Hya!"

"Giddy up!" Jimmy said to Bullet as he spurred him to. Both horses ran out of the stable in the direction of Kyo and Tohru's homestead.

--

Speaking of which, we find Kyo and Tohru, who obviously have no idea what's going on right now working on their homestead. Kyo was feeding their cows and chickens, while Tohru checked on the small number of crops they were growing. They did get some food in town, but in order to make most of the food they ate, they grew it like any enterprising farmer would. Kyo had to laugh about it at first, merely as an irony. In Japan, he was essentially a nobleman, but in America, foreign nobility didn't mean shit. He still had some money that he took with him from Japan, some of which was used to pay for the construction of their house, which was sort of a combination between American log cabins and traditional Japanese homes. They didn't have _tatami _mats because they couldn't grow rice in the Arizona soil. In fact, it was pretty difficult to cultivate much in the Arizona desert until they got some tips from local farmers--which is how they met Karen.

"Kyo!" Tohru called. "Can you help me with something?"

"I will, just give me a minute to get there!" He said. because their _zori _would not be of any use on the Arizona terrain, so they wore the boots that everyone else wore. They were given to them by none other than--you guessed it--Karen. Just the, Tohru caught a glimpse of something out of the corner of her eye and looked to the right. She noticed a pair of figures coming from the distance, and she squinted her eyes to see what it was.

"Kyo," she said. "What's that?" She pointed in the direction of the objects. Kyo looked to his left, but he could barely make it out. The two watched for a few moments before the figures became more clearer.

"There's two horses," he said. "And they're riding fast."

--

"_¡Arriba! ¡Arriba!_ _¡Ándale! ¡Ándale!_" [1] Jimmy urged Bullet to go faster. The horse was already running close to its top speed, but Jimmy and Karen were in a _big _hurry to get to Kyo and Tohru's homestead and warn them. "You reckon we're gonna get there in time?"

"I haven't seen any reason why we're not," Karen said. "I haven't seen them yet, so I think we've got it clear."

"Good. Come on!"

--

"Who do you think they are?" Tohru said in a worried voice.

"I don't know, but if they're any threat," Kyo drew his sword as he said that. "I'll end them here and now." Kyo got into a fighting stance in front of the house's door, ready to use his sword if needed. He watched the two figures draw closer to them, wondering still if they were enemies or not. "Tohru, you should go inside for now."

"But Kyo--"

"Just do it!" He said. Tohru began to make her way to the house, but the figures got close enough for her to recognize one of them.

"It's Karen!" She said happily. "And _Mikurusu-san_!" Tohru rushed over to the two once they got close enough. She greeted Karen eagerly, but the look on Karen and Jimmy's faces told a different story. "What's going on?"

"Somebody wants to kill Kyo!" Karen said in Japanese. Tohru and Kyo gasped, as they thought Kyo's enemies were still in Japan. Or was this a new enemy? "Jimmy will tell you and I'll translate. Jimmy?"

"There's six fellers, although one might be a lady," Jimmy said while Karen translated. "Their leader is a muscular feller who has the same looking sword Kyo has. One feller is a big one, and I mean _big_, not just in height, but in girth, too. And they also have an old feller. I could tell there was a menacing quality about them as soon as I first saw them.

"Did you get that?" Karen asked. "Do you have any idea who they might be?"

"The Jakotsu syndicate," Kyo said.

"Who?"

"They're enemies of mine. Their boss goes by the name 'Jakotsu' and his syndicate is named after him."

"Is he muscular?" Karen asked.

"No, he's an older man, probably in his 50s," Kyo said. "The man _Mikurusu-san_ is probably talking about is named Kaitou. Kaitou Nakajima."

"Kaitou?" Karen said. "That means 'bandit', right?"

"Correct," said Kyo. "It's a fitting name for him."

"Wait, what?" Jimmy said, since he was being locked out of the loop.

"The word 'kaitou' means 'bandit' in Japanese," Karen said. "Kyo was just commenting on how his name fits him."

"I reckon this feller's got a reputation," Jimmy said.

"I reckon," Karen said to Jimmy. She turned to Kyo and said, "What kind of reputation does he have?"

"He's a notorious thief," he said. "And a murderer, too. He's done other things, but they're too long to list." Karen relayed that back to Jimmy.

"Sounds like one bad feller," Jimmy said. Just then. they heard a voice from behind them.

"_Sohma-san_! _Konnichi-wa!_" The horses turned around, and Jimmy, Karen, Kyo and Tohru could see the six figures of the Jakotsu Syndicate approach on foot.

"They followed us!" Karen said in shock. "They must have followed the horse tracks. But how did they get here so fast?"

"They must have had a head start," said Jimmy. "But who cares, let them come!"

"Kyo-kun, what are we going to do?" Tohru asked nervously.

"Just let them come," Kyo said as he drew his _katana_. "I have no intention of running." Jimmy and Karen proceeded to dismount and hitched their horses up. Then, along with Kyo, they took up a defensive position in front of the house while Tohru heeded Kyo's words and went inside. Karen, meanwhile, gave Jimmy and ammunition belt for his new Winchester--which Karen said he could keep. Jimmy cocked the lever of the Winchester and held it at his waist, ready to fire. Karen pointed her shotgun at the approaching figures and Kyo simply got into a fighting stance. It took maybe ten minutes for the Jakotsu syndicate to reach the homestead of Kyo and Tohru. Kaitou, the leader, shook his head.

"I'm ashamed," he said. "This is not a way to treat an honored guest."

"You're no honored guest of mine, Kaitou," Kyo said. "Leave now. I want to live my life in peace."

"Tsk, tsk, tsk, it's not polite to tell your guests to leave," Kaitou said. "Don't you want to be a good host?"

"It's also not polite for a guest to kill their host," Kyo said in response. "Leave, now! Or we'll have to get violent."

"You and these two?" Kaitou asked. "I recognize them, are they your friends?"

"They warned me of your attempt to kill me," Kyo said. "The woman to my right is Karen McKenzie. She teaches my fiance English. To her right is Jimmy _Mikurusu_. And from what I've heard, he's quick with a gun. They're more that a match for you, Kaitou."

"Oh really?" Kaitou said. "Although I do believe we've met before." He turned to Karen and asked in Japanese, "Isn't that right?"

"Unfortunately," Karen said. "You threatened me in my own store."

"Well, I did now," Kaitou said. He turned to Jimmy and said in English, "Nice to see you again, Jimmy-san."

"Shove it up your ass," Jimmy replied. "I don't like you one bit."

"My my, how impolite!" Kaitou said.

"It's also impolite to interrupt someone when they're eating," said Jimmy. "But that's only minor compared to what you're trying to do now. So I suggest you leave the premises."

"You don't own this land, Jimmy-san," Kaitou said mockingly.

"I agree with his sentiments," Kyo said, interrupting Kaitou. Karen had told him what Jimmy had said, so that's why he's agreeing with him. "Leave. Now!"

"You can't order me around, Sohma-san," Kaitou said. "You're not exactly in a position of power. You and your friends are outnumbered 2 to 1."

"Except they have guns and you don't," Kyo replied. "That pretty much evens this up."

"Oh really," Kaitou said, which drew the suspicion of Kyo and Karen. "I almost forgot, we brought some of our own friends with us." With a smirk on his face, Kaitou pointed to his right. Kyo, Jimmy and Karen looked in that direction and to their dismay, saw 6 more gang members approaching.

"You have got to be boshing me!" Jimmy said in frustration.

"Don't get too upset Jimmy," Karen said. "We can still handle them."

"I reckon we can," Jimmy said. "Let them come, we'll show them what we can do."

"I hope we can," Karen said quietly, contradicting her own words. Jimmy didn't hear those words, instead keeping his gun trained on the incoming gang members.

"I'd like you to meet some of the Jakostu syndicate's best assassins," said Kaitou. "Whether they're killing you in broad daylight or when you're sleeping, they'll get the job done."

"Aren't you going to introduce us?" Jimmy asked.

"I think there's too many to introduce," Kaitou replied. "And besides, actions speak louder than words!" He said in Japanese, "Draw your swords!" The assassins drew their weapons, ranging from _katanas _to _nodachi_ [3]to some... _unique _looking swords. "Get them! [2]" The 11 assassins charged the farmhouse, yelling at the top of their lungs. Jimmy and Karen reacted by firing their Winchester and double-barreled shotgun, respectively. Jimmy cocked the rifle's lever again, moving to the left to try and draw some of the assassins away from Kyo and Karen--standard strategy, divide and conquer. He fired once, twice, three times at the 5 assassins he had met earlier. Karen, meanwhile, was dealing with the six newcomers. And right now she was wishing she had her own Winchester as well as the one she gave to Jimmy. She had to fire both barrels and then load. And it's not that easy when six people are trying to kill you all at once!

Kyo, meanwhile, was locking swords with Kaitou. The two skilled swordsmen battled each other while the bullets and shot pellets whizzed around them, coming from the weapons of Jimmy and Karen. _CLANG CLANG CLANG! _Steel met steel as the two swordsmen fought each other. And that wasn't the only sound coming from them. "Come on, Kyo, where's that aggressiveness you're known for?" Kaitou taunted him. "Come on, try to kill me!"

"You wish!" Kyo shouted back. He took a big swing at Kaitou, which the thief dodged.

_BANG! chk-chk, BANG! _Jimmy took a shot at the incoming assassins. He would have liked the bullets to hit them, but no such luck. They kept dodging him! He had hit one, but it was a glancing blow, which wasn't even good enough. _Dadgummit!_ He thought. "Just _die _already!" He cocked his next shot and fired at the big feller, who was giving him the most trouble. Kyo and Kaitou were fighting a good distance away, and Karen was hiding behind the fence, while Jimmy was standing right in front of the farmhouse. He continued to fire as much as he could until he heard the clicking of his rifle trigger, indicating he was out of bullets. Not a great time to run out! But luckily he had an ammo belt that Karen had given him. With no other choice, he had to duck behind the fence, where Karen was.

"Any luck?" She asked him.

"I wish," he replied. "Cover me, I've gotta reload."

"It's not that easy, I need to reload too," Karen shot back.

"Goddammit, you would have had more luck if you were armed with single-shot Springfield!" Jimmy replied.

"Oh, hobble your lip, Jimmy!" She shot back. "Are you done with that yet?"

"Almost!" He replied. Karen herself reloaded and fired a shot at the incoming assassins. The assassins scattered from her shot. "Done!" He said. With his rifle fully reloaded, he leapt over the fence and with the index finger on his right hand, fired a shot at a charging assassin. This time, the assassin reacted the way Jimmy had wanted him to. The assassin dropped his sword, clutching his chest in pain and doubled over. He was dead. "Finally!"

Inside the farmhouse, Tohru waited for the fighting to end. She had watched the other 6 assassins show up and when the shooting and fighting began, she had ducked beneath the window, trying to keep cover until the fight ended. Why was this going on? Why had Kyo's enemies come to America? What did they want? They had just wanted to be left alone to make a new life here. Suddenly, a bullet whizzed through the house. A voice from outside could be heard, saying, "Sorry!"

"_Gomen nasai!_" Came another voice. But right now, Tohru was scared out of her wits, trying to keep it together as the two sides fought just outside the farmhouse.

"Come on!" Said Jimmy. Already two assassins were dead. A man around his age and an older feller that he had met at the saloon.

"I'm not sure if this is helping, Jimmy!" Karen said to him.

"Are you sure, because it's keeping them at bay," Jimmy replied. Technically, he was right. The assassins were unable to get anywhere near the farmhouse. Too bad neither Jimmy nor Karen could hit them! "Dammit! I can barely see anything in this smoke!" Jimmy said.

"Do you think that might be why we can't kill them?" Karen asked as she fired another round from her shotgun.

"I reckon it might be," Jimmy said after firing another shot from his Winchester. Well their killing drought didn't last long. One assassin, apparently realizing they weren't hitting anybody, charged at the two screaming at the top of his lungs. "Sufferin' succotash!" Jimmy cried. He and Karen, in a hasty move, fired at the incoming assassin.

"Come on, Kyo, try to kill me!" Kaitou was continuing his taunts of Kyo to no end. And Kyo was starting to get tired of it.

"I don't kill!" Kyo said. "I'm not a samurai here, just a simple--grunt--farmer!"

"Keep telling yourself that!" Kaitou replied. "You know it to be the opposite!" The two locked their swords again, the steel grinding against steel. "Better yet, tell that to that one girl! Or your mother!"

"Be _quiet!_" Kyo yelled, pushing Kaitou back.

"That's it, let your anger out!" Kaitou said as he charged Kyo again, bringing his sword down on Kyo. Kyo blocked the strike from above and pushed it away. "You want to kill me!"

"The only killer here is Jimmy!" Kyo yelled back. "And he only does it because he has to!"

"You sure about that?" Kaitou asked as their swords locked again. "Because you don't know him--" He pushed Kyo back and moved in for the kill. "--and he doesn't know you!" Once again, Kyo blocked Kaitou's strike from above and pushed him away. Kyo swung his _katana _at Kaitou, but the notorious bandit leaped away from Kyo's strike.

The barrels of Jimmy's Winchester and Karen's shotgun were still pointed at a 70 degree angle, the angle of which they shot at the incoming assassin at. The assassin had leapt over the fence and was about to bring his sword down upon them when they shot him at close range. The assassin was lying dead in front of their feet and Karen was not too thrilled about having to kill someone. "Have you ever felt remorse over killing someone?" She asked.

"Is this the first time you've ever killed a feller?" Jimmy asked.

"Yes,"

"At times I do, but in moments like this, I usually don't have time to!" He fired a shot at another incoming assassin, this one the bald man that Jimmy had encountered in the saloon. But he was faster than the one he and Karen had just killed and now he was somehow dodging their shots.

Meanwhile, Kyo was doing all he could to resist from letting his anger out, which is what Kaitou was trying to do. "What will this prove?" He asked after dodging one of Kaitou's swings.

"You'll see!" Kaitou replied, taking another nasty swing at Kyo. "You can't run from your past, Kyo-san!"

"Don't call me that!" Kyo replied, blocking another one of Kaitou's strikes. Kyo was primarily on the defensive. Because of their fight, the two were a good distance away from the farmhouse right now.

"That's it, get angry!" Kaitou said with a slasher smile. Kyo was not happy, especially since Kaitou's attempts to get him angry were working.

Jimmy fired his shot at an assassin, which seemed to strike the man, because he fell to the ground and stayed still. "That's 4!" He yelled to Karen.

Karen, meanwhile, was having to deal with the assassin Jimmy assumed to be a lady. Further investigation by Karen proved that it _was _a lady. "Bully for you!" She said sarcastically. "Now can you help me here?" She was having to deal with the female assassin, blocking the assassin's short sword with her shotgun.

"I wish I could, but I've got my hands full over here!" Jimmy replied. He cocked his gun again and fired at a charging assassin. "That's five!" He fired again. "Six!"

"Come on Kyo, show them! Show them who you really are!" Kaitou's taunting was really getting to Kyo now and it was taking all of his discipline not to chop Kaitou's head off right here and now.

"Really, what will this accomplish Kaitou?" Kyo asked as he parried a strike from Kaitou's _Katana_.

"You'll see!"

_BANG! _"Seven!" Jimmy yelled after dispatching another assassin.

_Whack! _"Eight!" Karen shouted back. Instead of shooting the lady assassin, she had clubbed her with her shotgun. Jimmy meanwhile took on another assassin, one wielding a pole weapon instead of a sword.

"Well, this looks interesting," Jimmy said to himself. The assassin swung his staff at Jimmy, which made the gunslinger a little nervous while trying to dodge it. "Very interesting." But Jimmy was caught off guard when he felt something hook his left leg. And before he could do anything, the assassin yanked his foot out from under him, making him fall on his backside. "Dadgummit!" But now he was in a much more vulnerable position, since the assassin could more easily kill him from this angle and he had dropped his Winchester. The assassin was about to stab Jimmy when he remembered his trusty Colt on his hip. In a flash, Jimmy drew his gun quicker than you could say 'no' and shot the assassin. "Nine!"

_BLAM!_ "Ten!" That just left one more assassin--and the biggest.

"Goddammit, why the big one?" Jimmy asked as he picked up his Winchester.

"Well, why didn't you get him earlier?" Karen asked.

"Because I couldn't!" Jimmy shot back.

"Calm down Jimmy," she said. "We just need to figure out a weakness."

"That's easy for you to say! He's all blubber!" The two were forced to dodge the big feller's giant fist coming down on the both of them.

"Give in to anger, Kyo!" Kaitou's calm 'wise guy' persona had dropped, and now he was practically a flow-blown psycho. "Come on, KILL ME!!"

"Are you suicidal or something?" Kyo asked as he tried to block Kaitou's strikes.

"No, I just want to expose your true self to these people here!" Kaitou replied.

"I thought you wanted to kill me!" Kyo replied.

"That too!" Kaitou's strikes were getting more erratic, aa he really seemed to want Kyo to kill him. But the taunting was getting to Kyo and he was seriously considering it. But the words of his former teacher Kazuma rang through his head.

_No matter what, always remember this: Your sword is to protect the weak and the defenseless. Not to take a man's life._

"Forget about your master and kill me!" Kaitou shouted. Had he heard him? "You try to remember those words, but they'll do you no good here! YAH!" Kaitou took another nasty swing at Kyo which he was forced to defend. Kyo was on the defensive, unable to get a hit on Kaitou. "Come on, kill me!"

"NO!"

"Then you'll PAY!!!"

"Dammit!" To say Jimmy was mad would be an understatement. He was angrier than an sleep-deprived alligator right now because none of his shots on the big feller were doing any good. "What does this feller think he is, a whale or a blob?"

"By the looks of it," she fired a slug from her shotgun. "He probably does."

"Graahh, this is not WORKING!" Jimmy's frustration was becoming evident and he was seriously considering just abandoning this rampaging beast and killing Kaitou. But right now he was pinned down behind the fence. From what they could tell, Tohru was still inside the farmhouse and the whale-like feller was approaching right now. They were tying to shoot him, but they were running out of ammunition to try and kill him. "Alright, that does it, I'm going to take him right here!"

"Jimmy, hold your horses!" But Karen's plea went unheeded as Jimmy leapt over the fence and began shooting the blob feller again.

"Get away from that farmhouse, you big... whatever you are!"

"Jimmy, you fool! You're just going to make him angry!" Karen yelled from her position. Now Jimmy should have heard that earlier, because the blob feller was coming over to him.

"Come on now," he said to himself. However, his brain was telling him, _GET THE HELL OUT OF HERE!!_ His legs, however, were standing still, and he wasn't moving.

"Jimmy, get out of there! _NOW!!!_" Jimmy wasn't listening, but once the big feller got close enough to him, now he was starting to listen. He tried to run, but his legs were frozen in place and he was going nowhere fast. A look of terror was now on his face as this big whatever he was was practically towering over him. The feller roared and was about to bring his arms down on Jimmy when he was suddenly, and inexplicably tripped up by something. Now Jimmy was even more scared as the big thing fell on him. There was only one thing to do. Collecting his nerves, Jimmy aimed his gun at the feller's forehead and when the monster man's head was close enough, he pulled the trigger on his Winchester.

Kyo, meanwhile, was on the offensive. Well, relatively speaking. He wasn't exactly trying to kill Kaitou but he was starting to fight back more and drive Kaitou back towards the farmhouse. He heard the shot from Jimmy's Winchester, but he didn't notice what exactly happened. "That's it Kyo, fight back! Fight back and try to kill me!"

"I'm not going to kill you, Kaitoiu!" Kyo replied.

"That's too bad!"

"But I will cut your arm off. Hiyah!" _CLANG! CLANG! CLANG!_ The two continued their battle unimpeded by the other events. Finally, Kaitou was growing frustrated by Kyo's refusal to kill him.

"I you won't kill me, then I'll make you!" He shouted. But Kyo charged him anyway, trying to keep Kaitou on the defensive. Kyo swung a backhand with his right hand at Kaitou, trying to keep the bandit on his feet. The bandit jumped back quickly and was forced to block several of Kyo's sword strikes. However, Kaitou jumped back a few feet and said,

"Prepare yourself, Kyo YAAAAAHHH!!!" Kaitou charged Kyo with his sword in the air and yelling at the top of his lungs. Kyo panicked for a moment and then thrust his sword at Kaitou.

"Jimmy! Are you okay?" Karen asked as she hopped over the fence. Jimmy was still standing where he was, holding his rifle at an angle. In front of him was the dead body of the blob man, and the man's--well, it's a little too graphic to describe, but since Jimmy aimed for his head and fired from a close range, I think you get the idea what happened. Jimmy was not pleased about it one bit, and he was shaking, covered in a small amount of the man's... head.

"I think so," he said as he slowly lowered his rifle.

"You loon! You idiot!" Karen yelled at him. To be honest, he probably deserved it.

"I'm sorry Karen, I was just--" But Jimmy's words were cut off when Karen suddenly and inexplicably threw her arms around his neck, which caught him off guard. His face turned red, redder than the world's ripest apple.

"I thought you were going to die!" She said, her voice wavering slightly, as though she was trying to keep from crying. Jimmy relaxed a little bit and wrapped his left arm around her back.

"I'm okay," he said. That's when he saw Kyo.

Kyo's eyes were wide in shock. His sword was sticking right through Kaitou's body, and the bandit was smiling. "See, I said... you were still... a killer." Kaitou said, struggling to say them.

"No, no, I'm not!" Kyo said.

"Keep... telling... yourself that," Kaitou said again. The bandit smiled a crazed smile and said, "Now your friends... know... (ngh) what... you... are."

"No!"

"I'll... see... you... " He started to waiver, indicating that he was dying. "In... Hell." Kyo pulled his sword out of the bandit's body and Kaitou fell to the ground. He was dead. Kyo looked over towards the farmhouse and not only saw Jimmy and Karen sharing an embrace, but they were looking at him. With sorrow in his chest, he sheathed his _katana _walked over to them.

"Is Kaitou dead?" Karen asked.

"I reckon he is," replied Jimmy. Kyo walked over to Jimmy and Karen, who were still in an embrace, unbeknownst to them. When he got close enough, he bowed before them and saied,

"_Gomen nasai."_

"He said he's sorry," Karen said. Kyo continued to speak, and Karen translated. "He says he did not mean to kill him, and that he did so only in self-defense. And if this were Japan, he'd most likely have lost his honor, and he would have to... oh, dear."

"What?" Jimmy asked.

"_Seppuku,_" she replied. "Ritual suicide a man does if he has lost his honor. Honor's really important in Japan."

"Well this ain't Japan," said Jimmy. "And I reckon the best way to regain his honor is to apprehend this Jakotsu feller. But first--" Jimmy turned out of Karen's embrace and then--

Karen and Kyo winced as Jimmy blew out pieces of his lunch right in front of them, most likely because of the pieces of the man's... you know. "Are you okay Jimmy?" Karen asked.

"I reckon I am," Jimmy replied. "Never shot a feller in the head before."

"I reckon that would make anybody sick," Karen said. Kyo just looked on in disgust.

"I reckon so," Jimmy said. "So why's he so worked up about killing a man? I've already killed 20!"

"I made a promise that I will never kill again!" Kyo yelled to Jimmy after Karen relayed Jimmy's words.

"Oh, so it's a personal thing," Jimmy said after Karen relayed Kyo's words. "Well then, don't get too worked up about it. Karen and I saw what happened and it looks as though he didn't give you much of a choice."

After Karen relayed Jimmy's words, Kyo said, "But I promised to Tohru that I'd never kill again."

"I reckon he's got a checkered past we don't know about," said Jimmy.

"We don't know about your past, either," said Karen. "By the way, what are we going to do with these bodies?" She gestured to the dead bodies of the 12 assassin--Kaitou included--that lay on the ground in front of the farmhouse.

"I reckon we're going to have to get the undertaker," said Jimmy. "That means we won't be able to go after this Jakotsu feller today."

"Go after him, what do you mean?" Karen asked.

"I meant hat I was serious when I said we should apprehend that Jakotsu feller," said Jimmy. "But I reckon the sheriff wouldn't like it if we went after him on our own, so we'll have to get permission from the sheriff. Besides--" He padded his gun belt, noting the lack of ammunition. "I'm fresh out of bullets. I'm not going to put my into a hornet's nest if I'm not prepared, and I'm not going to walk into a dangerous situation without bullets."

"I suppose you're right," said Karen. While they looked at the carnage in front of them, Kyo walked back to the farmhouse. Jimmy and Karen noticed this and followed him there. Kyo knocked on the door, saying,

"Tohru, are you alright in there?" There was no answer for a few seconds, which made Kyo worry. Finally, the door opened, revealing a very frightened Tohru. Kyo let out a sigh of relief and said, "Thank Amaterasu you're okay!" But then he got serious, which made Tohru worried.

"Kyo," she said worriedly. "What happened?"

"I killed a man, Tohru," he said. Tohru gasped in horror. "I broke my promise. I'm sorry. Please forgive me!" He bowed in front of her as he said it, while Karen whispered what he was saying to Jimmy's ear. But then, Tohru said something that surprised all of them.

"I forgive you, Kyo-kun." Her words shocked Kyo and Karen and then Jimmy after Karen told him what she said.

"But why?" Kyo asked. "Why did you forgive me?"

"Because I saw what happened Kyo-kun," she said. "I saw that your opponent forced you to stab him and you had no other choice."

"Tohru," Kyo said. He was at a loss for words. He didn't know she would forgive him for that! "Why--forget it. Thank you, Tohru."

"You're welcome, Kyo-kun," she turned to Karen and Jimmy and said, "What happens now?"

"Well now, we got after Jakotsu," Jimmy said after Karen relayed Tohru's words. "But not today. We have to get the undertaker to take care of these bodies--"

"Except the woman," Karen said, interrupting him.

"The woman?"

"I knocked her out," she replied.

"Oh, okay," he said. "And we have to ask the sheriff permission to go after Jakotsu. And I have to eat again, and I need to get more bullets!"

"Does everything have to involve you?" Karen asked in an annoyed tone.

"No, it does not!" Said Jimmy "But in this fuss, it does."

--

"Where is Kaitou? Why haven't he and his assassins returned yet?"

"We believe they might be dead, sir."

"Dead? HA HA HA HA HA! Well then, if that's the case, then their mission might not have been a failure after all."

"But what about involvement from the local authorities?"

"Forget them! Kyo Sohma will come to us. Prepare for his arrival with the 'special' hospitality."

"Right away, sir."

"Well, Kyo, I suppose now you'll regret having crossed me. Once my men are through with you!"

--

[1] Didn't any of you watch Speedy Gonzales?

[2] ([J]:) means that the following passage is in Japanese.

[3] A _long _sword.


	4. Waiting

"Jakotsu?" Said Sheriff Kane. Jimmy, Karen, Kyo and Tohru were in the L'Amour sheriff's office, a bit after dark. It had taken the undertaker a few hours to clean up the mess left by the small battle that had taken place on Kyo and Tohru's homestead, which apparently took only 10 minutes. It's funny how when you're fighting, 10 minutes can seem like an hour. And now, they were in the sheriff's office—as stated previously—asking the sheriff's permission to apprehend this Jakotsu feller. "Who's he?" Too bad the sheriff didn't know who Jakotsu was.

"He's a crime boss from Japan," Jimmy said. "Mr. Sohma here seems to have some history with him, but he won't tell us anything else about it."

"I see," said the Sheriff Kane. The Sheriff gave Kyo a steely-eyed look that seemed to discomfort Kyo. "So what do they do?" He asked Jimmy.

"Well, Karen here," he pointed to Karen who was sitting behind them. "Tells me that Mr. Sohma said that they coerce the railroad workers for 'protection' money and if they don't pay this 'protection' money, then bad things happen to them."

"That almost sounds like Mr. Sohma," Sheriff Kane said. "He gets paid by the workers for his services, too."

"Well Karen said that he these Jakotsu fellers are different," said Jimmy. "Mr. Sohma helps the railroad workers out of generosity and I guess a sense of justice. These Jakotsu fellers extort the railroad workers' money."

"I see," said Sheriff Kane. "This sounds like a new type of crime, at least to my knowledge."

"And that's not all," said Jimmy. "According to Mr. Sohma, they supposedly have a strict sense of honor. But he doesn't believe a word of it."

"Really?" Sheriff Kane said with an intrigued tone.

"He says that lowly peasants have more honor than these fellers," Jimmy said. Sheriff Kane nodded as he listened to Jimmy describe the honor system among this gang. "They say that they're like samurai, but since Mr. Sohma comes from a samurai family, he doesn't believe a word of it. To him, they're just scum."

"Well that sounds interesting," Sheriff Kane said. He stayed silent for about a minute, apparently in deep thought about whether or not he should approve Jimmy and Kyo's little operation. The silence in the office wasn't deafening, just a tiny bit uncomfortable. Tohru waited patiently for Sheriff Kane's answer, while Jimmy looked at Karen, who sat next to Tohru behind Jimmy and Kyo. Sheriff Kane seemed to be in deep thought, as if whatever Jimmy and Kyo were planning was vital to the safety of the town. Or something like that. Kyo seemed to get impatient, but since he had no other choice but to wait, his disciplined attitude kept him calm. Jimmy, however, was impatient, but since the sheriff wouldn't like it if he said anything, he kept quiet. Finally, Sheriff Kane said, "I'll see what I can do."

"Really?" Said Jimmy.

"I'll send a telegram to the judge in Prescott," he said. "I can't just let you go after this feller without his approval."

"Why not?" Said Karen.

"Because only the judge can issue an arrest warrant," said Sheriff Kane. "And because what Mr. Michaels and Mr. Sohma here are planning is essentially vigilantism, he may not like what you're doing. I'll have to tell him I plan to at least temporarily deputize the both of you if he approves."

"But do you like our plan?" Said Jimmy.

"If the judge approves," said the sheriff. "If he doesn't you'll have to deal with it. I'm not sure if he's ever heard of him, either, so don't get your hopes up."

"Thanks anyway sheriff," said Karen. Her voice had a slight tone of disappointment on it, one that Sheriff Kane could detect.

"I know you might be disappointed," he said. "But right now, that's the only thing you can do. And I reckon it might be a long spell before he makes his decision, so be prepared to wait."

"I reckon I don't like that," said Jimmy.

--

"Well that doesn't sound good," Karen said as the group left the sheriff's office. It was early evening, and the sun was barely peeking over the horizon, creating a red sky at night. The activity on the street was beginning to dwindle, but the activity in the saloon was no doubt beginning to pick up, especially with a popular singer in town--one that neither Jimmy nor Karen heard about. The streetlights were being lit by attendants right about now, leaving the street in a half-candle, half-sunlight glow. Jimmy put his hat back on and prepared to go back to the place where he was staying when Karen asked, "Do you have a place to work?"

"I'm a former drifter," he replied. "So no."

"Why don't you come to work for me in my store?" She asked. Jimmy thought about it for a minute.

"I reckon that sounds like a good idea," he said. "I am running out of dinero."

"Then come in to work starting tomorrow," Karen said. "I'll help you get started."

"I thank you for hiring me," said Jimmy. "Most folks back in Florida, Texas, Illinois and Louisiana wouldn't hire me."

"They wouldn't?" She said. "Why not? You look like someone who should be hired."

"I have been hired," said Jimmy. "But most people won't hire me simply because of my ancestry; my ma and pa were born in Ireland."

"Oh," said Karen. Kyo noticed Jimmy looking disappointed, as if he just revealed some dark secret. Karen seemed to have a shocked expression as well. Then, to both Jimmy and Kyo's surprise, Karen's look changed from shocked to happy. "Don't worry," she said. "I'll still hire you."

"Oh," said Jimmy, who was surprised to see Karen's reaction. "I thank you very much then."

"Just show up to work and you won't have any trouble," said Karen with a firm look on her face. "Just because you used to be a drifter doesn't give you the excuse to skip out on your job."

"Heh heh, don't worry, I won't," he said with a nervous laugh. She must have been serious.

"Hey! Karen-san! _Mikurusu-san_!" Kyo called. "Are you done yet?" There was an annoyed look on his face, as if he was impatient waiting for Jimmy and Karen.

"Oh, sorry Kyo," said Karen in Japanese. "I was simply offering Jimmy a job at my general store."

"Oh, really?" Tohru said. "But what were you talking about before?"

"It's nothing, really," Karen replied. "Just some discussion between he and I."

"Oh, okay then," said Tohru. "So what now?"

"I reckon Jimmy might want to go the saloon," said Karen. She said the word 'saloon' in English to get Jimmy's attention. Well, it worked, because Jimmy had an interested look on his face, as if he had been waiting for her to say that.

"I like that plan," said Jimmy. "Introduce our Oriental friends here to Matt."

"The saloon owner?" Karen asked. Jimmy nodded his head. "Let's just get some grub," she said.

--

Kyo wasn't sure how he was convinced to go to the saloon. He certainly did not like the rowdy patrons, nor did he like the fact that they had no _sake_. In fact, the noise in the saloon—but not the singer—reminded him why he didn't like these kinds of establishments, even the ones in Japan. When he asked Matt—through Karen, of course—if they had any, Matt had a confused look on his face, before Karen cleared that up. Matt told her they had none, only beer, whiskey and sassafras root beer. So he had to have some beer, instead. And when he took his first taste of it, he recoiled at the bitter taste. What was worse, however, was Jimmy trying to stifle a laugh at his first experience with beer. Tohru and Karen, meanwhile, were having the sassafras root beer. "I reckon he doesn't like beer," said Jimmy.

"I think he prefers _sake_," said Karen. "Beer doesn't seem to be his thing."

"Well other than the tequila and whiskey," said Jimmy. "Beer's the only thing Matt's got."

"I really do not like this drink," said Kyo to Tohru. "It is too bitter for my taste. I don't understand why Americans and Europeans enjoy this."

"Hey yoo," came a voice from behind Jimmy, who had an annoyed look on his face. Behind him was an older man with a handlebar mustache. "Yoo stole mah m-m-money!" It was obvious the man was drunk, as he was slurring his words and having trouble keeping his balance.

"Go away," said Jimmy. He turned around to face the man. "I don't even know you, how can I steal your money?"

"Wait, yer not who Ah'm lookin' fer," said the drunk man. "Oh wait, yer that Jimmy Michaels feller, aren't ya?"

"Yes, I am," said Jimmy, who had returned to his beer. Kyo watched the situation intently. "Now leave me alone, I'm trying to enjoy my beer."

"I jesh wanna say yoo are the besht gunshlinger I have ever sheen," said the drunk man.

"Well thank you," Even though he knew the man was not serious.

"I wash not sherioush," the drunkard said.

"I could tell," said Jimmy as he took a sip of his beer. "Now go away before Matt drags you off."

"I washn't done with ya," said the drunkard. He was about to grab Jimmy when Kyo grabbed his _katana_ to defend the gunslinger. However, he didn't need to, because Jimmy had already drawn is Colt and was pointing it at the drunkard.

"I said go away," said Jimmy. "And I reckon Matt wouldn't want blood spilled over his floor, so I suggest you back off." The drunkard backed off, knowing Jimmy _was _indeed serious. Kyo, knowing the situation was handled, took his hand of his sword and sat back down while Karen and Tohru just watched.

"Did you really have to pull your gun on him?" Karen asked. "Because I reckon that was kind of harsh."

"I reckon you're right," said Jimmy. "I just wanted that man to leave me alone."

"That's not really much of an excuse," said Karen. "You should think more about getting out of a situation without reaching for your gun."

"If there's a situation where using my gun is a bad idea, then you'll know," said Jimmy. "Otherwise, I might—OW!!!" He didn't get to finish what he was saying when Karen whacked him on the head. "You didn't have to do that, either!" He said.

"Karen-san, I don't think that was very nice," said Tohru.

"I'm sorry Tohru," said Karen, "I suppose my temper got the best of me."

"I reckon it's not going to look good if you admonish someone for pulling a gun on a man and then hitting him," said Jimmy. Even though he didn't understand what Karen and Tohru were talking about.

"Oh, I guess so," said Karen. "I'm sorry Jimmy."

"Thank you," said Jimmy. "I'll show up to work only if you promise not to hit me."

"Oh, Jimmy!" Said Karen. A look at Jimmy's face showed that he was unwavering with his statement.

"Okay, I promise," she said.

"Good then," said Jimmy. "Expect me to show to show up to work on Wednesday, then."

--

"I don't know why, but I feel disappointed," said Tohru as she and Kyo returned to their homestead later that night. Kyo gave her a confused look.

"Why is that?" He asked.

"Because your request will take some time," said Tohru,

"Well, the American laws are probably different from Japan," said Kyo. "Karen told me that in most cases, one needs an arrest warrant to apprehend a man. And there's also the fact neither Jimmy nor I are lawmen. Sheriff Kane is."

"Oh, I see," said Tohru. She let Kyo get in front of her before she wrapped her arms around him. He was only mildly surprised, yet also appreciative of her affection.

"Thank you Tohru," he said gently. "Thank you for loving me."

--

Two weeks passed since the incident with Kaitou. The woman of the group had been sent to Phoenix for medical treatment and indictment, most likely. Meanwhile, Sheriff Kane had sent his telegram to the territorial judge in Prescott and had not heard back from him in two weeks. The sheriff did not worry too much about it, since he knew the judge might have been busy. Kyo stopped worrying about it too, but he was still concerned that Jakostu might escape. But considering his nature, it was possible he was still in Arizona.

Today, Tohru was in town again to get supplies for her and Kyo's farm. And once again, she went to Karen's general store for said supplies. As she entered, she noticed nobody was there, except for somebody sweeping the floor, until she called, "_Ohayo _[1]_! Karen-san?_" Since it was morning, it made sense. Soon, Karen appeared and came to the counter.

"Hello Tohru," she said in Japanese. "Are you here for the usual?"

"Yes, I am," said Tohru with a smile.

"Well then, you know where everything is then," said Karen. Tohru then proceeded to look around the store, looking for the feed for the chickens as well as her sowing supplies the rice, and other things. The employee, meanwhile, continued to sweep the floor. Tohru ignored him, though, until she got a look at him.

"_Mikurusu-san_?" She said. Jimmy gave her a quick nod and smile before going back to work. Tohru then placed her items on the counter and once Karen was done with her price check, Tohru asked, "Why is _Mikurusu-san _working here?"

"Oh, Jimmy?" Karen asked. "I offered him employment here. He accepted it because he needed the money. Being a former drifter doesn't do good for one's money."

"Oh, I see," said Tohru. "Why was he a drifter, though?"

"Well, it's complicated, but it has to do with his ancestry," said Karen. "He's Irish. And a lot of people in America don't like them, much like the Chinese and black folks [2]. In fact, the Irish are called 'white n******."

"Oh," said Tohru. "That's so sad." She looked over at Jimmy, who appeared to be at least trying to listen to their conversation, even though he most likely didn't understand them.

"Just don't pity him though," Karen said. "I don't think he likes that."

"Oh, no, I wasn't saying I pitied him!" Tohru said semi-frantically. "I-I-I mean, I'm just saying that.. Oh, I do sound like I'm pitying him!" She failed to notice Jimmy looking at her with a look that today would essentially say, 'what the fuck?'

"Karen, what in tarnation is she talking about?" Said Jimmy.

"Oh, nothing, Jimmy," said Karen. "Keep sweeping okay?" Jimmy simply shook his head and went back to sweeping. He muttered something about hating secrets.

"I suppose he wasn't happy about our conversation," said Tohru. "Should I--,"

"No, I don't think he's one to angst about it," said Karen. "But he does seem kind of trigger-happy because of that. And too be honest, I'm Irish, too. Well, thank you for coming, I guess I'll see you tonight?"

"Oh yes, thank you Karen," she said as she bowed to her. Karen did the same.

"Jimmy, can you help Tohru load her supplies on her wagon?" Karen said.

"She has a wagon?" he asked. "Huh. I did not know that."

After Jimmy helped her load her wagon, Tohru went back to her and Kyo's homestead. When she got back, she noticed Kyo was not home. After he was nearly shot by Jimmy, Kyo had stopped harassing railroad foremen. And they had gotten the message and disciplined their foremen if they abused their employees—a rarity for the 19th century, with its dubious history of abusive employers.

Tohru waited for Kyo by preparing some rice for her and Kyo. She sang a song in her native language to pass the time [3]

"_Sakura sakura  
Yayoi no sora wa  
Miwatasu kagiri  
Kasumi ka kumo ka  
Nioi zo izuru  
Izaya izaya  
Mi ni yu kan Saita sakura  
Mina mi te modoro  
Yoshino wa sakura  
Tatsuta wa momiji  
Karasaki no matsu  
Tokiwa tokiwaIza yukan"_

--

Meanwhile, at Karen's general store, Jimmy had finished his sweeping while Karen read a book at the counter. Jimmy had gotten a guitar out and was playing it relatively decently—he wasn't the best, but at least Karen thought he was good--while singing for Karen [4].

"_I come from Alabama with a banjo on my knee,  
I'm going to Louisiana, my true love for to see  
It rained all night the day I left, the weather it was dry  
The sun so hot I froze to death; Susanna, don't you cry._

_Oh, Susanna, don't you cry for me  
I come from Alabama,  
With my banjo on my knee._

_Oh, Susanna, don't you cry for me  
I come from Alabama,  
With my banjo on my knee._

_I had a dream the other night when everything was still,  
I thought I saw Susanna coming up the hill,  
The red, red rose was in her hand, the tear was in her eye,  
I said I'm coming from Dixieland, Susanna don't you cry._

_Oh, Susanna, don't you cry for me  
I come from Alabama,  
With my banjo on my knee._

_Oh, Susanna, don't you cry for me  
I come from Alabama,  
With my banjo on my knee._

_I soon will be in New Orleans and then I'll look around  
And when I find my gal Susanne, I'll fall upon the ground  
But if I do not find you there, then I will surely die  
And when I'm dead and buried, Susanna don't you cry._

_Oh, Susanna, don't you cry for me  
I come from Alabama,  
With my banjo on my knee._

_Oh, Susanna, don't you cry for me  
I come from Alabama,  
With my banjo on my knee."_

"Not bad," said Karen. "You're not the best, though, either with that guitar or your singing. You might need some practice with that."

"Oh, don't be like that," said Jimmy. "You know you liked it."

"I did like it, but you're no Opera singer," said Karen. "Now get back to work, your break is over."

"Dadgummit!"

"Hey, I won't pity you over the Irish thing, so don't expect me to go easy on you," said Karen. "Even though I won't hit you again."

--

Kyo came back a few minutes after Tohru returned to hear Tohru singing. She was never the best, but to him, she was the greatest. She obviously appreciated it. "I love it when you sing," he said. He seemed to startle her, but she still appreciated it.

"Thank you Kyo," she said. "Oh, can you please unload the wagon for me?"

"Of course," he replied. "Oh, and just so you know, I wasn't harassing any foremen today."

--

Sometime later, the day changed for the four main characters. It happened when Sheriff Kane showed up to Karen's general store with a piece of paper in his hand. Jimmy, who was out sweeping the front of the store, stopped and acknowledged him. "Hello, sheriff," he said. "What have you got there?"

"Telegram from the judge," said Sheriff Kane. Jimmy's face immediately turned to an excited one, as he had a pretty good idea what it might be about. He didn't know, but it still excited him. "I can see you're excited," said Sheriff Kane. "I'll let you read—you can read, right?"

"Sure, I can read," Jimmy replied. "Just let me see the telegram." Sheriff Kane handed the telegram to Jimmy who took a quick look at it before going back into the store.

"Karen!" He called. "Come out here, the sheriff just gave me a telegram from the judge!" Karen got up from her seat behind the counter and immediately came outside to get a look at the telegram. It read—

TO SHERIFF JOHN KANE LAMOUR ARIZONA

FROM JUDGE HENRY JOHNSON PRESCOTT ARIZONA

TO SHERIFF KANE STOP PERMISSION FOR JIMMY MICHAELS AND KYO SOHMA TO APPREHEND MAN NAMED JAKOTSU APPROVED STOP AN ARREST WARRANT WILL BE SENT TO LAMOUR STOP MICHAELS AND SOHMA ARE TO BE DEPUTIZED TO APPREHEND JAKOTSU STOP

"Dagum!" Said Jimmy. "Looks like Mr Sohma and I are goin' man hunting!"

"You still have to wait for that arrest warrant though," said Karen.

"I might receive it tomorrow," said Sheriff Kane. "I reckon he might send it by train."

"We should tell Kyo and Tohru," said Jimmy.

"When we're done here," said Karen. "But I will go over there tonight for Tohru's English lesson. We'll tell them there." She turned to Sheriff Kane and said, "Thank you, sheriff."

"You're welcome Karen," said Sheriff Kane as he tipped his hat. He pointed at Jimmy and said, "You have to be deputized before you can chase after this feller. And it might be a temporary position."

--

Later, Karen and Jimmy set out to Kyo and Tohru's homestead. The telegram had Jimmy excited, and he was itching to get there as soon as possible, but Karen was much more patient and told him to keep his patience. Jimmy had to tell himself that it wouldn't matter if he did tell him, because they wouldn't go after him tonight anyway; they still had to be deputized. Finally, much to Jimmy's relief, they made it to Kyo and Tohru's homestead. As soon as they hitched up their horses, Jimmy rushed to the door, but Karen stopped him from going in without politely introducing himself.

"Hello," Karen said as she bowed. She nudged Jimmy to do the same, only he said in English.

"Hello Karen, _Mikurusu-san_," said Tohru. "Are you here for the lesson?"

"Yes, and some extra news," said Karen. "The judge replied to Sheriff Kane today." That little bit of information got Kyo's attention. "Read it Jimmy, I'll translate it."

"To Sheriff John Kane, L'Amour, Arizona, from Judge Henry Johnson, Prescott, Arizona; To Sheriff John Kane, stop. Permission for Jimmy Michaels and Kyo Sohma to apprehend man name Jakotsu approved, stop. An arrest warrant will be sent to L'Amour, stop. Michaels and Sohma are to be deputized to apprehend Jakotsu, stop." Jimmy finished reading the telegram while Karen translated for Kyo and Tohru.

The look on their faces told everything. For Kyo, it was a feeling of excitement, much like Jimmy. For Tohru, it was a look of both worry and interest. "It's about time," said Kyo.

"That's what Jimmy said," said Karen. "He's anxious to go after Jakotsu. But he and you have to be deputized by the sheriff first and you have to wait for that arrest warrant."

"I can wait," said Kyo. "Although I am tired of waiting to catch him. And I already have a good idea of where he is."

"He already has a good idea where Jakotsu is," Karen said to Jimmy. Jimmy had a smirk on his face.

"Well now, that'll be good," he said. "I reckon his information will help. And I reckon he must have gotten that information from the railroad workers."

"The railroad workers told me," said Kyo. "They were happy to hear that I was going to go after Jakotsu." He said this without Karen having to tell Jimmy. Karen relayed that to Jimmy.

"I reckoned as much," said Jimmy with his smirk still on his face.

"And I reckon you should wipe that smirk off your face," said Karen. Jimmy frowned at her, not happy with what she said.

"I really hope you two know what you're doing," said Tohru with a worried look on her face.

"I'll be fine, Tohru," Kyo replied. "You know I can handle myself."

"I can handle them," said Jimmy after Karen translated Kyo's words. "If they're armed with those swords again, my trusty Colt and I," he pulled out his gun as he said that. "Will handle them easily."

"But there's still the chance they have guns," said Karen. "You need to be careful, don't get yourself killed because of some loon action of yours. Now then, I think this discussion is over for now. Tohru, is dinner ready?"

"Oh, yes it is," said Tohru. "I made a great meal for everyone!"

"Oh wow, I can't wait to see it!" Said Karen. Tohru hurried over to the stove and got the food ready. Jimmy, Karen and Kyo, meanwhile, sat down at the table, eagerly waiting the meal. "Here it is!" She said as she served the meal. It was partially Japanese and partially American, what with the corn and rice, as well as some bison meat that came from a farm in Arizona. So it wasn't a bad thing.

"Dadgum!" Said Jimmy. "This looks good!"

"I hope you like it," said Karen. "Tohru, are we ready to eat?"

"Oh, yes, but one more thing. And I think you know what it is."

"Oh, yes, I do," said Karen. Jimmy looked at the other three in a confused way.

"_Itadakimasu!_" Said Karen, Kyo and Tohru. Jimmy, however, had a confused look on his face, as he had _no _idea what they all said.

"Um, pardon me, but what did you say?" He said to Karen.

"Oh, I'm sorry," said Karen. 'It's just that it's customary in Japan to say '_itadakimasu_' right before eating. It means, 'I humbly receive'."

"So you're really saying, 'thank you for the meal, right?" Said Jimmy.

"Bully for you!" She replied. But Jimmy wasn't too happy about her response, as he thought she was being sarcastic.

"Oh, maybe I wasn't," said Karen. Jimmy scowled, as he thought she was still being sarcastic. "Tohru, could you pass the corn, please?"

"Of course!" Tohru replied. This made Jimmy even more annoyed as he felt that Karen was trying to avoid answering the question. But he instead gestured to the rice, which was near Kyo.

"Sohma," he said to get Kyo's attention. It worked, and Kyo noticed he was pointing at the white rice. Kyo then handed the rice to Jimmy. But he ran into a problem when he noticed the… sticks near his plate. And no, he had never seen them before. "Um, Karen, what are those?" He asked.

"Those are chopsticks," she replied. "You hold them like this." She showed him how to hold chopsticks, which he tried to do. Too bad he wasn't good at it. "Here," she said, grabbing his hand. Her motions made Jimmy blush like a ripe tomato. "There you go," she said. Now Jimmy was holding them correctly. And Karen was oblivious to Tohru and Kyo's looks.

So, Jimmy tried the rice. He took a good-sized chunk—although not unmanageable—of rice and took a bite of it. "Not bad," he said to himself.

--

Jimmy and Kyo sat around for the rest of the night while Karen and Tohru had their lesson. Neither of them intended to learn each other's language, even though that was not intended to be offensive. Kyo passed the time by practicing his calligraphy. Jimmy passed the time by reading Thomas Paine.

"How much longer?" He asked Karen. She gave him an annoyed look and said,

"Will you hold your horses?"

"Holding my horses is not a trait of mine," he said.

"I can see that," she said. "Just stay calm, Jakotsu's not going anywhere."

"I wasn't worried about Jakotsu," Jimmy said to himself. Karen didn't hear him and she continued her lesson with Tohru.

--

About two hours later, Karen and Tohru were done, and after some more visiting, Karen and Jimmy were ready to leave. It was dark out, which would make it difficult for the two of them to get back to town, so Tohru had a solution. "Why don't you two stay here tonight?"

"That's a fine idea!" Said Karen. "Although I'm not sure if Jimmy will like it. Jimmy, how do you feel about staying here for the night?"

"Well," Jimmy drew out his word, as he was deep in thought about it. "I reckon it's not a good plan to ride back to town in this darkness, so I reckon I'll sleep here tonight."

"Jimmy is okay with it," Karen said. "So where do we sleep?"

"Well, first you have to take a bath," said Tohru. "It's kind of a house rule."

"I suppose we have no other choice," said Karen. "Jimmy, you'll have to take a bath tonight."

"Fine with me," he replied. "I reckon I smell like bison dung."

--

The bath was relaxing for Karen. So much so, she forgot that she was taking her sweet time in it before Jimmy knocked on the bathroom door, telling her to hurry up because Tohru was anxious for her bath. Karen chuckled in an embarrassed tone, realizing she was indeed taking too long.

"You need to be more polite with that," he said as she left the bathroom, wearing a _negajuban_ [5]. Jimmy himself was wearing one, as he had gotten done with his bath sometime earlier.

"Sorry Jimmy," she said. Jimmy shook his head as Tohru went into the bathroom to take her bath.

"You know, I never thought I'd ever wear this thing," Jimmy said to Karen. He was talking about his robe. "Are we going to sleep in this thing?"

"I reckon we are," said Karen. Jimmy took a look at Karen. She had her hair down, which he had never seen with her before. She looked… pretty; _Very _pretty to him. He shook his head, trying to get that thought out of his head. "So are you ready to go after Jakotsu?" She asked. He had forgotten that.

"I reckon I am," he said. "That will be bully."

"Did you really just say that?" She said.

"Kyo, will you help our guests with their futons?" Tohru asked from the bathroom.

"I will," he replied. He said to Karen, "I'll show you where we keep the extra futons."

"Thank you, Kyo," she replied.

"What's he talking about?" Asked Jimmy.

"Our futons," she replied. "That's what we're going to be sleeping on. You can handle a futon, right?"

"I reckon I can," said Jimmy. "As long as it feels comfortable, I've spent too many nights sleeping on the ground in Texas."

--

It turns out sleeping on a futon was better than sleeping on the ground in Texas. Jimmy fell asleep quickly after he laid his head down. Karen took some time before she got to sleep, while Kyp and Tohru spent some time talking to each other before getting to sleep. "When will you go after Jakotsu?" She asked.

"When the time is right," he replied. "I have to wait for the arrest warrant and to be deputized."

"Just be careful when you do," she said. "I already lost my mother, I don't want to lose you."

"Tohru, you have nothing to worry about," he replied. "I will capture Jakotsu, and I will survive."

--

The next morning, after breakfast, the four of them rode back into town, with the possibility of the arrest warrant arriving. Kyo rode with a determined look on his face. Tohru was simply worried about her fiancé, as she had been earlier. Jimmy rode with excited anticipation and his semi-psychotic smirk was on his face. Karen did not like the fact that he had that look and asked him to stop smiling like that. Jimmy and Karen wore their Stetsons while Kyo and Tohru wore their conical _kasas_. Tohru was also wearing her _yukata,_ mainly due to the intense Arizona heat.

A short time liter, the four arrived in town. It was butsling again, as the train had just arrived sometime ago and its passengers had gotten off. It was most likely a mail train, so the arrest warrant may have arrived at the sheriff's office right now, which is where they were headed. "Hold your horses Jimmy," she said. "You still have to be deputized."

"I know," he said. "But I'm just too excited."

"That's what worries me," she said in return. "I'm just glad you won't go killing people right here and now."

"I'm not crazy," he said.

"You act that way," she replied.

"Kyo?" Tohru asked.

"What is it, Tohru?" He replied.

"…Please be careful."

"Is that all you can say to me?" He asked. "I will be okay, you can trust me."

"I know that Kyo, but I'm just worried," she said. Kyo laughed slightly. He wasn't too nervous, but his fiancé's concern made him worried for her.

"It will be fine," he said. "They won't stand a chance against me."

"We're here!" Said Jimmy. They were right in front of Sheriff Kane's office. A man came out, wearing what looked like a postal worker's uniform. "Looks like it's here," he said as he hitched up his horse. Karen hitched up her and Tohru's horse while Kyo hitched his own up, as well. With that, the four entered the office.

"Mr. Michael, Mr. Sohma," said Sheriff Kane. "Glad you two could make it." He had some papers on his desk. Most likely some that came today. "Ms. McKenzie, why don't you and Ms. Honda have a seat?"

"Thank you sheriff," said Karen as she and Tohru took a seat. Jimmy and Kyo remained standing.

"Well?" said Jimmy.

"I have the arrest warrant for Mr. Jakotsu here, right now," he said. Jimmy smiled while Karen relayed the sheriff's words to Kyo. "Now you two are to bring him in by any means possible, either dead or alive, understood?"

"Yes sir," said Jimmy.

"_Hai,_" Kyo said once Karen told him.

"But I would prefer it if you brought him back alive, is that understood?" Jimmy nodded, as did Kyo. "Now you two are authorized to use deadly force, but don't go on a rampage, understood?"

"Yes sir," said Jimmy."

"Okay then," said the sheriff. He got up and grabbed two silver stars. Jimmy straightened up while Kyo had to be told what they were.

"That's your deputy badge," said Karen. "You have to wear that." Sheriff Kane walked up to him and Jimmy with their deputy badges. Jimmy stood straight while Sheriff Kane put his one first.

"On behalf of the Arizona territorial judge," said the sheriff. "I hereby deputize you, Jimmy Michaels, and you, Kyo Sohma." He put the badge on Kyo's _hakama_. It stuck out like a sore thumb on Kyo's clothing, while it didn't look out of place on Jimmy's. "Now then, you two are allowed to arrest Jakotsu."

"Thank you sheriff," said Jimmy as he shook Sheriff Kane's hand.

"_Arigatou, Sheriff Kane-sama _[6]," Kyo said as he bowed before him. Sheriff Kane was confused about it at first until Karen told him what Kyo was doing.

"Now this is important," said Sheriff Kane. "Do not be too careless. We have reports that the railroad workers' camp is crawling with armed men."

"Is that where he is?" Jimmy asked. He asked it to both Sheriff Kane and Karen.

"Kyo says yes, that is where the railroad workers say he is," said Karen.

"Well now, that should be interesting," said Jimmy. "My Pa once ran into a whole camp of Confederate soldiers. I reckon this might be the same."

"But you're going in there knowing what will happen," said Karen. "And you won't stumble onto it like he did, I reckon."

"True," said Jimmy. "But this should still be interesting."

--

After they left the sheriff's office, Jimmy returned to his apartment, which was just above Karen's general store, to get his Colt .45. "I'll rendezvous with you and Mr. Sohma at his homestead, understood?"

"Yes," said Karen. "Good luck. You're gong to need it."

"I don't need luck," said Jimmy. "I'm Seamus McMichael, better known as Jimmy Michaels. I can handle anything."

"Jakotsu will rue the day he crossed me and my family's path," said Kyo. "He will not escape."

"Do your best, Kyo," said Tohru. As Jimmy ran into the general store, she gave Kyo an embrace. "I believe in you."

"Thank you, Tohru," he said. "Do not worry. I will have Jakotsu arrested."

"Well, this looks interesting," said Karen. "I wonder what will happen?"

--

[1] "Hello!" This is usually said in the morning.

[2] _Please _don't get mad at me for writing this. To my knowledge, the term 'African-American' did not exist back in the 1870s, so to be historically accurate, Karen has to say 'black'. I apologize to anyone offended by this. I mean no harm.

[3] In case you don't know, this is the famous Japanese folk song, 'Sakura Sakura'.

[4] This song is the American folk song 'Oh, Susanna', for those of you who don't know. [5] A kimono-shaped robe.

[6] 'Thank you, Sheriff Kane'.


	5. Storming the Mansion, part 1: Entrance

In the desert outside L'Amour, Arizona, a lone figure rode on horseback for a small cabin in the distance. The rider was armed to the teeth—sort of-carrying with him a Winchester model 1873 rifle and a Colt Single-Action Army pistol and a pair of ammo belts. He had a look of determination on his face, as he knew what was ahead of him. Not the cabin, but what was going to happen afterward. On his right breast was a silver star, with the word 'deputy' engraved on it. His black hat, resembling a Unites States Cavalry hat, shielded his brown eyes from the harsh Arizona sun. The horse itself was at a medium gallop, neither a trot nor a full-blown run. He wasn't in much of a hurry, but he didn't want to be late to his destination, either.

So what was his mission? Well, his mission was to apprehend a vicious outlaw hiding somewhere in the desert, possibly close to where the railroad workers had their little village or camp. Well, it was pure speculation, anyhow. He really didn't know where this feller lived. And Jimmy Michaels—that was his name—wasn't too happy about having to go on a wild goose chase across the Arizona territory to find this feller. Good thing he had a little help, though. And it came from a Japanese feller.

A Japanese feller around his age—21—by the name of Kyo Sohma, that is. The man was a son of a samurai family and could wield his sword almost better than Jimmy could fire a pistol. As the wind blew around him, Jimmy held onto his hat, not letting it go. He felt the heat of the mid-June day, but could do very little about it until he reached the farm where Kyo Sohma and his fiancé Tohru Honda lived, and also where his employer Karen McKenzie was, as well.

As he got closer, he could see the log cabin much clearer, and the traces of human blood from the previous shootout he had been in at that farm were mostly gone, probably absorbed by the ground or washed away by the recent rain that hit the area. There wasn't anyone outside the house, most likely they were still inside preparing for their little mission, if you will.

"Whoa, boy," he said to his horse to get the animal to slow down. A tug of the reins also signaled to his steed that he wished to slow down and the horse did as it was commanded, slowing down to a trot as he approached the farmhouse. His face still did not show any nervousness, only a steely-eyed look that he was trying to master, but wasn't having too much luck with it. "Easy," he said to the horse as it got closer to the farmhouse. He could also smell something coming from the house, which intrigued him even more. Were the people there already eating?

Finally, he reached the farmhouse and dismounted as soon as the horse stopped. It should also be mentioned that what he and Kyo Sohma were going to be doing was essentially vigilantism. But now that they had been deputized by the sheriff of L' Amour and given an arrest warrant by the Arizona territorial judge, they were in the free and clear to apprehend Jakotsu, the man they were going after today.

_Knock! Knock! Knock!_Jimmy gave the front door a few knocks and waited before a young woman, about his age with brown hair and blue eyes and wearing a _kimono_opened the door. "_Mikurusu-san! Konnichi wa!_" She said. Well, Jimmy doesn't understand Japanese, so he really wasn't sure what she just said.

"Say what?" He asked with a confused look on his face. Tohru immediately had a panicked look on her face and began to practically babble in Japanese about…something. He really wasn't sure what she was talking about.

"Oh, Jimmy, I'm sorry," said another voice. This one, whoever, belonged to a different woman, and Jimmy looked to see his employer, Karen McKenzie come to the door. She too, was his age, 21. "Tohru just said 'hello'."

"Well hello then," said Jimmy. "Is Mr. Sohma ready?"

"He's getting ready," said Karen. "We'll have to wait outside while Tohru and Kyo prepare."

"You mean she's coming too?" Jimmy asked, pointing at Tohru. "I didn't know she could shoot."

"She can't," Karen replied. "She's too afraid to even look at a gun."

"She didn't seem to mind when I first threatened her fiancé," Jimmy replied.

"Oh, she was scared, you just didn't see it," Karen replied. Unlike Jimmy, who wore a tan vest over a striped shirt, Karen wore a beige duster coat, making her look bigger than she really was. She too was armed, carrying a double-barreled shotgun, compared to Jimmy's Winchester and Colt.

"So Mr. Sohma has to get ready," said Jimmy. "How?"

"It's complicated," Karen replied. "It's a traditional process, if you will. He's the son of a samurai family, so he'll perform a few… 'rituals' if you will."

"Like what?" Jimmy asked.

"He writes poetry," she replied.

"Poetry?" Jimmy asked. He was beginning to laugh, but the look of Karen's face told him that what Kyo was doing was downright serious.

"It's not something to be made fun of," she said. "It's traditional for samurai to write poetry."

"I reckon they're like that Saint Ignatius feller," said Jimmy. "I think. Either that or Richard the Lionheart, he was a poet himself."

"You know about Richard the Lionheart?" Karen asked with a combination confused and surprised look on her face.

"I'm smarter than I look," said Jimmy. "Ol' Saladin respected the man during the time he fought during the Crusades. Of course, a lot of people hated him, too."

"You are smarter than you look," Karen said. "But you still can't sing or play a guitar."

"Hey!" He shouted back. Yes, he knew that she just playfully insulted him. "So what's he doing now?" He asked as he looked in the window. Kyo was sitting still, with his eyes closed and apparently in deep concentration. Not even Tohru's probably noisy activities could break Kyo's concentration. It was as if his mind was in another place or something. In other words, he was meditating. "He sure isn't in a hurry, is he?" Jimmy asked.

"No, he is not," Karen replied. "So are you ready?"

"I've _been_ready," Jimmy replied. "I want to go catch that sumbitch and bring him to justice, but I have to wait!"

"Calm down!" She shouted. Jimmy raised his right eyebrow in reaction to her little outburst. But the scene was interrupted when Tohru stepped out clad in light armor and carrying a stick with a blade at the end of it. Jimmy was confused, but Karen knew what was going on. "Are you going to fight with us?" She asked in Japanese."

"Yes," Tohru replied.

"Wait, is she going to fight?" Jimmy asked. "You said she was too afraid to even hold a gun, why is she going to fight with us?"

"She's not afraid of a _naginata_!" Karen snapped back. "And I already told you she was going with us!"

"I don't even know what that is!" Jimmy shot back. But then Karen pointed at the staff Tohru was carrying, indicating that it was a _naginata_. "Oh. But you still made me assume she was too afraid to fight!"

"She can fight, she's just afraid of guns!" Karen repeated. "Try and give her your gun and see what happens."

"All right then," Jimmy said as he pulled out his Colt and handed it to Tohru with the handle facing her. Sure enough, Tohru recoiled from Jimmy's offer, backing away slowly and her face had a—unintentionally—comical look of fear. Although Jimmy didn't want to, he could not help but laugh a little at Tohru's reaction. He thought it was funny. Of course, he saw Karen's look, so he simply flipped his gun a few times and put it back in its holster. "Sorry," he said. "It just looked funny and I couldn't help myself."

"You should!" Karen replied.

"But it was funny!" Jimmy replied.

"It was not," Karen replied.

"I'm still not going to change that," said Jimmy.

"What are you two talking about?" Tohru asked. It was then the two remembered Tohru was still there.

"Oh, sorry Tohru," Karen replied. "Jimmy thought your reaction to his pistol was funny. Even though I don't think it was."

"Oh," said Tohru. "Speaking of which, will we succeed in our quest today?"

"Probably," said Karen. "I'm sure you and I can handle whatever the enemy throws at us. The other two, I know they can handle them."

"Here he comes," said Jimmy, breaking Karen and Tohru's conversation. He watched Kyo put on his armor, which was also light like Tohru's. After grabbing his sword, Kyo stood in front of a small shrine and appeared to pray to it before exiting the house.

When he stepped outside, he saw Jimmy, Karen and Tohru. Kyo's face was slightly stoic, but there was also a hint of determination on his face. He was certainly ready to go. "I am ready," he said. "Jakotsu will regret the day he decided to cross my path."

"It's about time he's ready," said Jimmy. "I've been getting impatient!"

"Patience _Mikurusu-san,_" Kyo said. To answer, he had seen Jimmy's body language and noticed that he was getting impatient. He didn't understand what Jimmy said. That, and Karen told him what he said. "But we must be going. I too am ready to bring Jakotsu to justice."

Half an hour later the four rode to the railroad construction site outside of town. The reason why was because since Jakotsu was known to do some illegitimate business with the Chinese and Japanese railroad workers it was possible someone here might know where he was located. It was something of an off day, as there were fewer workers on site. Also, the location was different, and was now a mile from town instead of three, which is the location when Jimmy first arrived. Soon, it would meet up with another end of the railroad coming in from Los Angeles.

Tohru and Karen stayed on their horses while Jimmy and Kyo dismounted. Kyo would talk to the Japanese and Chinese railroad workers while Jimmy would talk to the English-speaking workers.

"Greetings my friends," Kyo said as he came upon the workers. Naturally, the workers crowded around him, clamoring to see him. Kyo obviously appreciated this showing of appreciation, but he needed to get down to business. "Wait, wait, wait!" he said to calm down the men. Naturally they did, and Kyo could speak. "First off, I have been named Deputy sheriff of the town of L'Amour, Arizona." He pointed to his badge and the workers all admired the star on his chest.

"Deputy?" An older Chinese worker said. "That's amazing, Kyo!"

"Kyo-sama is the Deputy?" A Japanese worker asked. "I never thought I'd see the day!"

"Now that you know," Kyo said. "I have an arrest warrant for Jakotsu from the Yavapai County judge in Prescott. I must know where he is so I can find him." The men went silent, as if they didn't want to tell Kyo where he was. Kyo suspected they may have been afraid to tell him. "Are you afraid to tell me?" He asked for confirmation. "If he is brought to justice, you won't have to live in fear of him. I have done what I can to help you all. And I want to help you here. I know what he has done to you and I want to put an end to it. Like I said, I have an arrest warrant for him. Please, tell me." The men stayed silent, and Kyo sighed. This was going to take some convincing.

Meanwhile, Jimmy approached several other railroad workers, most likely ones that spoke English. There were four of them, not what he had hoped for. Two were black, two were white. No, that was not intended to be racist. "Excuse me fellers," he said to get their attention. "But do any of you gentlemen know about a man named 'Jakotsu'?"

The workers looked at each other, as if they didn't know what Jimmy was talking about. Well, except for one of the workers, a black man. "Yes, I reckon I've heard of him," he said. "I reckon I've heard the Oriental workers talk about him, and I've seen some queer-looking [1] fellers talking with them."

"Do you know what he does?" Jimmy asked.

"I reckon he's a criminal," the man said.

"Do you know where he lives?" Jimmy asked. The man seemed to be in deep thought and took his time answering Jimmy's question, much to Jimmy's annoyance. He was already impatient waiting for Kyo, and now this feller was taking his time.

"Why should I tell you?" He asked. This provoked Jimmy's attention. "Why are you looking for him?"

Jimmy was not pleased one bit. In reaction, he pointed at his deputy badge and said, "Because I'm a lawman!"

"So?" He asked again.

"I'm a deputy sheriff!" Jimmy replied. "I have an arrest warrant for him! Now could you please tell me?"

"Sorry," the man said. "I don't know where he is."

"WHAT!" Jimmy shouted. Now his face had a comical look of disbelief. "You don't even know where he lives even though you took so dadgum long?"

"Yessir," he said.

"GAH!" Jimmy shouted. "If you didn't know, then why in tarnation did you take so long to answer?"

"Because I wanted to see the look on your face when you found out," the man said in response. Jimmy simply sighed and placed his face in his palm in response while the four workers laughed. And yes, Jimmy felt stupid.

Kyo, meanwhile, was having a more serious problem with the Chinese and Japanese workers. They were still silent about his question, which made him nervous. Jakotsu must be more powerful than he thought. Then, one worker spoke. "I do," he said. Kyo looked around to find the source of the voice. Sure enough, he found it. It belonged to Ping of all people.

"Ping," Kyo said. "Can you tell me where Jakotsu lives?"

"He lives not too far from here," he replied. "You can't miss where he lives. It's a Japanese mansion."

"He lives in a mansion?" Kyo asked with disbelief on his voice and face. "In the middle of the Arizona desert?"

"I am not lying," Ping replied. "They got the wood to build it from California."

"Thank you Ping," Kyo replied. "I shall share my best _sake_with you for this… if I can find any."

"I thank you as well, Kyo-sama," Ping replied. At that point, Kyo put his thumb and index fingers in his mouth and whistled.

"_Mikurusu-san_!" He shouted.

Meanwhile, Jimmy was alerted by Kyo's whistle and immediately went over to the crowd that surrounded Kyo. Kyo then gestured to Jimmy to follow him. "I reckon he knows where this Jakotsu feller lives," Jimmy said out loud.

"I'll be helping," said Ping. Jimmy was at first surprised, but then he remembered that Ping spoke English and Japanese.

"You're going to help?" Jimmy asked. Ping nodded. "Fair enough," he said. "Lead the way. Karen!" Karen immediately looked at Jimmy. "This feller here knows where Jakotsu lives!" He said.

"That's good," she replied. "Did Kyo ask him?"

"Yes, he did ask me," Ping replied. "Most of the workers are too afraid to tell where he lives."

"I just hope you aren't lying to me," Kyo said in Japanese.

"Why would I lie to you?" Ping replied. "I have the utmost respect for you."

About 15 minutes later, the five of them arrived in what seemed to be a small village outside of town. Most of the buildings were small, and looked almost Japanese. It was no surprise that four out of five of the people there were very surprised that this village even existed. "Where in tarnation did this come from?" Jimmy asked.

"A few of the railroad workers from Japan live here," Ping replied. "They wanted something to remind themselves of home, so they built this village."

"How in tarnation did anybody miss this?" Jimmy asked again. Already his willing suspension of disbelief was being challenged by this very village.

"I've seen stranger," said Kyo after Ping repeated his words in Japanese. "We need to find Jakotsu's mansion."

"I say we dismount for now," said Jimmy. "We approach on foot."

"Good idea," Karen said. She and Jimmy dismounted and Kyo, Tohru and Ping followed suit.

The village was almost a ghost town. There may have been people there, but if there were, they certainly were quiet. Kyo suspected it must be because of Jakotsu's men. There was also an air of tension among the five of them. Jimmy kept his hands on his Winchester, and Karen gripped her shotgun also tense. Kyo kept his hand near both his swords and Tohru followed them closely with her _naginata_. Ping led the group. Jimmy could not help but keep his eyes on the buildings as if he was worried that someone might pop out of those houses and bushwhack them.

"Jimmy," said Karen. "I reckon once you enter Jakotsu's hideout, you should leave the Winchester behind."

"I don't reckon I will," Jimmy replied. "Unless the situation forces me to, I might just do that."

"This is it," Ping said. All five stopped in front of what was indeed a Japanese mansion. It wasn't gigantic, but it was large building, nonetheless. And no, it was not two stories, only one story high. But even from the outside, it looked pretty vast. Not surprisingly, Jimmy and Karen were astonished.

"What in tarnation?" Jimmy asked to no one in particular. "How in tarnation did they get a mansion out here in the middle of the Arizona—oh, MY HEAD HURTS!"

"How did they build this?" Karen asked. "Where did they get the wood?"

"From California," Ping replied.

"I reckon we oughta forget about how silly this looks," said Jimmy. "We should just concentrate on the task at hand."

"Exactly," said Karen.

Kyo, meanwhile, had already walked up to the main door. Tohru was also nervous about what was coming next. There was indeed nervousness that still hung over the group, especially since none of them were sure about what was on the other side of that door. Were there goons or not? Would Jakotsu go quietly, or as Kyo suspected, put up a fight? The two Americans, Jimmy and Karen, gripped their guns in anticipation. Neither of them knew what would happen. Neither did Kyo and Tohru. Remembering what he had to do, Jimmy also stepped up to the front door. "Well, here goes nothing," he said. At that point, he banged on the door. "Open up!" He shouted. "Deputy Sheriffs, we have and arrest warrant for Jakotsu!" There was no answer, which annoyed Jimmy instead of making him even more anxious. Even though he didn't understand a word Jimmy just said, Kyo decided to give it a try as well.

"Open up!" He shouted in Japanese. "We're with the L'Amour sheriff's office! We have an arrest warrant for Jakotsu! He is to surrender and come quietly so he may face trial in Prescott!" Suddenly, there was a clatter coming from inside the house. Jimmy and Kyo looked at each other in confusion. There was now little doubt that there were people inside the mansion.

At the same time, they could hear more clamoring from the houses. It was now clear that the village was indeed inhabited. And Karen suspected they were not friendly. "If anyone here attacks," she said. "Tohru and I will stay behind."

"Good luck," he said. He was also getting impatient. He was already impatient from waiting for Kyo and the men at the railroad site that he took his right leg and with those boots he was wearing, kicked the door in. Kyo gave him an annoyed look. "I said, deputy sheriff! Jakostu is under arrest and is to stand trial! Surrender NOW!" He stepped foot inside and to his displeasure, saw several men, all armed with sharp, nasty-looking objects. "Oh, dammit," he said.

"You know, you don't make yourself look like a scholar when you do things like that!" Karen shouted.

"Will you stop that?" Jimmy shouted back.

Kyo however, stood fast. He had a job to do and not even Jimmy's little muck-up would change that. "I am Kyo Sohma, deputy sheriff of L'Amour, Arizona," he said as he pointed to his badge. "I have a warrant for Jakotsu's arrest. He is to come quietly back to L'Amour so he may face trial."

The men who were confronting Jimmy and Kyo stood there with disbelief on their faces. Jimmy didn't know what Kyo said, but it must have affected them. Until, that is, when they began laughing. Jimmy and Kyo were not happy. "Arrest?" One of them said. "Jakotsu cannot be arrested! He is above the law!"

"Not here," Kyo replied. "Here, he is a wanted man. And I suggest you surrender or else."

"Or else what?" the man said back.

Kyo knew that the man had just signed his own death wish. At that point, he looked at Jimmy and nodded his head. Jimmy got the message loud and clear. With a semi-psychotic smile on his face, Jimmy nodded back, and quickly raised his Colt up and took aim at the man. Then, he pulled the trigger and fired. _BANG!_

Suddenly, the man recoiled. He had a shocked look on his face as he looked down at his chest and noticed a red spot spreading at where his heart was. His eyes rolled back in his head and he fell to the ground face first. The other goons watched in horror while Kyo watched. Jimmy, meanwhile, cocked the rifle's lever and took aim again. "He killed him!" Another goon said.

"I was serious," Kyo repliedas he reached for his _wakizashi_short sword. "I didn't wear my armor for no reason. Now I will say this again: Jakotsu is to surrender and come silently. Or else my associate and I will be forced to take action."

"You and your associate?" The man said. "What about your women?" At that point, Kyo turned around and noticed several people advancing on Karen and Tohru. But the two looked ready to fight them both.

"Kyo, Karen-san and I will deal with these people," Tohru said. "You and _Mikurusu-san_should deal with Jakotsu."

"Jimmy, Tohru and I will handle these fellers," Karen said. "You do what you have to do."

"Gladly!" Jimmy said. Kyo stepped up next to Jimmy. The two confronted the goons in the doorway. Jimmy could see a hallway to his right and one to his left. He wasn't sure which one led to Jakotsu, so he knew it would be a good idea to split up. But how was he going to convey that to Kyo? He wouldn't understand what he said, but—that's when he got the idea. Since Kyo could not understand what Jimmy was saying, he could probably understand what he was _doing_. "Sohma," he said. Kyo turned to look at Jimmy. It was then that he gestured to himself and then pointed to the right. He then pointed to Kyo and pointed to the left.

Kyo at first was confused about just what Jimmy was doing. Why was he pointing to himself and then to the right? It was then that he got the idea. Just to be sure, he pointed at Jimmy and then to the right. Jimmy nodded, meaning he had gotten his point. Kyo then pointed to himself and then to the left. Jimmy then nodded again, and he had a smile on his face. Kyo got the message. Jimmy was saying, 'I'll go this way, you'll go that way'.

"Ready?" Jimmy asked, even though Kyo didn't understand him. He then reached for his Colt while Kyo reached for his short sword. With his left hand, Jimmy held up three fingers. Then, he held up two. He was counting down. 3… 2… 1… "GO!"

At that point, Jimmy drew his pistol and Kyo his sword and attacked the goons. Jimmy drew his Colt with a lightning-quick move and fired his pistol. Kyo charged the goons and swung his sword at the goons. Even with his short sword, Kyo had little trouble dispatching these men.

Jimmy had little trouble as well, especially since these fellers were armed only with sharp objects and not pistols like Jimmy was. In short, Jimmy could fire his six-shooter at the men and keep his distance from the men with the sharp, pointy objects—until he ran out of bullets, that is. "Oh, damn," he said when his six-shooter ran out. Well, you can imagine the look on his face and the faces of the assailants. It was a good thing Kyo noticed Jimmy's situation and took care of the assailants. "Thank you," he said. Kyo, who did know the meaning of that phrase, just gave him a slight salute before taking the left hallway to find Jakotsu while Jimmy took the time to re-load. It was also at that point, that Jimmy heard a shotgun blast coming from outside. Karen and Tohru must have begun to engage their enemies. Jimmy could only wish them good luck and continue with his fight, stepping over three men he killed to get to the right hallway. "Get em, Karen!"

_BANG!_ With a shotgun blast to the ground, Karen kept a group of would-be attackers at bay. Tohru, meanwhile, was fighting with a pair of women, using her _naginata_to fight. And she was doing good. Karen had to admit even she didn't think Tohru could handle herself. The lady seemed so delicate that to see her fighting well, even she was surprised. It was then she realized she still had to deal with her objectives, so she took the butt of her shotgun and swung it at her opponent.

Tohru didn't think much about it herself. She was just concentrating on handling her opponents. With a quick move, she blocked a sword attack on her left while at the same time using the non-blade side to take out another opponent on her right. When that was done, she swung her staff-like weapon around and swung it at a pair of assailants. That strike hit her opponents.

Back in the mansion, Kyo was having an easy time getting through. Most of the goons he faced were bad at sword fighting, much to his surprise. Well, compared to him, anyway. A quick backhand swing took out three opponents and he spun around again and took out a man behind him. A cry alerted him to another man behind him and this time he ducked to avoid the man, who tumbled over him. He then blocked another sword attack and threw the man off of him. It was then he decided he wasn't going to toy with these fools any longer so he barreled through the wall of men—well; it wasn't much of a wall if he could penetrate them that easily—to continue down the hallway.

Jimmy, meanwhile, had a little more to deal with. His hallway was lousy with goons. But it didn't matter a Few quick shots from his Colt and they were easy to deal with. One man tried to charge him like a rhino, but Jimmy simply shot him and he fell like a sack of potatoes. Jimmy only cackled as that happened. Of course, he didn't only use his six-shooter. One man did get close to him, but Jimmy took care of him with a boxing punch. And yes, he knocked the man out cold. Then he took his Colt again and with the last bullet in his gun at the time, shot at another man. Well, now his gun was empty, so it was time to reload. But since he could, he pistol whipped a pair of men, knocking them out and running away to find a place to reload.

At the same time, Kyo ran into a slight problem. Now he had found the men who could actually fight with their swords instead of some lowly lackeys. Jakotsu must have hired some former samurai from before the Meiji revolution, since they were old enough to have fought in said revolution and they were very experienced swordsmen. Kyo could not let his guard down. One swordsman swung downwards at Kyo—he was taller than him—which Kyo just barely blocked with his short sword. What's even more, he seemed tgo recognize Kyo. "You are Kyo Sohma, aren't you?" He asked. "You are the son of the famed Sohma clan?"

"That is correct," Kyo replied. "How do you know who I am?"

"I knew your father from the days of the revolution," he replied. "He was an honorable man."

"But not for me," Kyo replied. "He was not honorable to me."

"Then your teacher Kazuma was honorable," he replied. "I have heard great things about him. I hear he fought 10 soldiers of the Shogun alone."

"That is part of his reputation," Kyo replied. "I can't say if it's true or not. But that's not the point. What are you doing here in America? And especially working for a man like Jakotsu?"

"I could ask you the same question. But to answer yours, the samurai are dead," he replied. "I needed a way to make money so I came to him. I really don't care about his plans."

"What plans?" Kyo asked. "What are you talking about?"

"I'm not even sure about what he means myself," the samurai replied. "And I must ask what that star on your chest is for."

"I am a deputy sheriff of L'Amour, Arizona," Kyo replied. "I am here along with my partner to apprehend him."

"You're a lawman?" The samurai asked. "And who is your partner? Where is he?"

"My partner is an American by the name of Jimmy _Mikurusu_," Kyo replied. "He's a gunslinger. And he's currently trying to find his way to Jakotsu himself."

"I see," said the samurai. "So you're working with a trigger-happy American. That is interesting."

"You seem to think he's out of place," Kyo replied. "In reality, we're the ones out of place. My partner is not."

"You have a point," the samurai said. "Very well, then. Although I am not happy about it, I shall defeat you anyway."

"Bring it," Kyo replied. The man charged Kyo, who stood his ground like Stonewall Jackson. The two swords clashed, sending sparks flying.

"Good block," the older samurai said. "Now let's see how you handle this!" The man charged Kyo again, this time he was going for the kill.

"DAMMIT!" Jimmy, meanwhile, had to deal with another older samurai, one that was dodging all of his shots. "Where in tarnation do they get these fellers?" Jimmy asked to no one in particular. To put it short, Jimmy had thought that he would just shoot the man, but he was too fast for Jimmy's six-shooter. And right now, the man was attacking Jimmy while the young American tried to reload. And it's not easy to reload when a samurai is thrusting and swinging his sword at him. "Should have brought my Winchester," he said to himself. Finally, he got the Colt loaded and got a good distance between himself and the samurai, taking aim. When the time was right, fired—and missed. "Oh, not again!" He said. The samurai had dodged in the nick of time and was now bearing down on Jimmy.

"Do you actually think a gun can defeat me?" The samurai said in Japanese. Jimmy of course, had absolutely no idea what he just said, but did have a scared look on his face as the samurai began to bring his sword down on him. "Prepare to die, American!" The samurai shouted as he charged Jimmy. As the samurai charged Jimmy, he gathered his wits and took aim at the samurai before pulling the trigger.

Outside, Karen and Tohru were having their own problems. They were surrounded by some of Jakotu's goons after dispatching some pro-Jakotsu villagers. What was worse was Karen was running low on shotgun shells and slugs and Tohru was getting tired. They had that difficult a fight. And of course now, they had some trouble. "Karen-san," Tohru said.

"What is it, Tohru?" Karen asked.

"If we're going to die," she said. "Then let us die in style." Karen was obviously surprised. This kind of talk was coming from a lady who was afraid of guns! Karen had to admit that even though she and Tohru were good friends, she didn't know everything about the Japanese woman.

Karen simply shook her head. "We're not going to die," she replied. "No, we're going to fight bravely and we're going to handle these fools. What do you say?"

Tohru replied by smiling at Karen. It was her standard smile, the one the always made Kyo's heart melt whenever he saw that smile. "Then let's die when we're old and decrepit."

"I like that," said Karen. Karen immediately raised her shotgun at one goon and fired. Tohru then took her _naginata_and swung it at several goons. Karen's shot hit her target and Tohru's strike took out a few goons.

With the fight on, the goons attacked Karen, who swung the butt of her shotgun at the goons, striking one in the head. Tohru then spun around, twirling the _naginata_above her head like a helicopter before brining it down on several goons. Karen's attack knocked the man out and knocked a few teeth out of his mouth, as well. Tohru's attack, meanwhile, took out several goons, even cutting off body parts. "I think we can handle these guys!" Karen said.

The older samurai who attacked Kyo doubled over in pain, clutching his stomach. Kyo had swung his sword into the man's midsection as he attacked him. The man was in enough pain that he had dropped his sword. And he was also worried if he was bleeding or not. Kyo, meanwhile, stood tall above him. The man moved his hand from his chest to discover that—there was no blood. The samurai was understandably confused. "What is this?" The samurai asked. "Why am I not bleeding?" It was then that he saw Kyo's sword. His eyes widened in shock and realization: the blade of his _wakizashi_short sword was on the reverse side. "A reverse-blade sword!" The man said. "I have heard of those. There's a man in Tokyo that I've heard of who used a reverse-blade sword. As I can recall, he was a feared assassin during the revolution and has been atoning for his sins [2]. How did you get that?"

"It was made for me before I left Japan," Kyo replied. "I have also done things I regret, which is why I carry this around."

"I see," said the older samurai. "You are your teacher's student. Go on, then. I'll leave this town and go to either Los Angeles or San Francisco to start a new life. I wish you luck."

"You're giving up this easily?" Kyo asked. "But why?"

"Even I don't know why," the samurai said. "I suppose it's because I don't like Jakotsu either." With that, the man stood up and sheathed his sword. Then, he bowed before Kyo and walked away. "Until next time," he said as he left. Kyo only shook his head.

"Old fool," he said to himself before continuing on.

Meanwhile, Jimmy had just fired his gun at a charging samurai. Before, he had missed every shot. Now, he had gotten close to the man—even though he still missed. "DAMMIT!" He shouted again. However, his shot had seemed to faze the samurai, who had frozen just before bringing his sword down on the American. Also, Jimmy was about to fall on his behind because the samurai was so close. But now that the shot had nearly hit the target, Jimmy's resolve was getting stronger.

"Not bad," the samurai said—in English. Jimmy looked at the man in surprise.

"You speak—"

"Yes, I speak English. And no, I won't tell where I learned it." the samurai said. "And that was a decent shot. Normally, a man would be dead from that attack, but your shot made me stop. I'm impressed."

"I reckon you might be,' said Jimmy. "But I'm not done. Not at all."

"I still believe you should give up American," the samurai said in response. "If all you've got is a gun, then you can't really fight me."

"We were fighting?" Jimmy asked. "I did not know. I've just been tryin' to kill you."

"You're not going to kill me," the samurai said. "You won't even shoot me when I'm not talking."

Of course, this gave Jimmy a bad idea. "You sure about that?" He asked as he pointed his gun at him. But he didn't get a shot off, because the samurai moved in quickly and kicked the gunslinger in the chest, sending him backwards. Jimmy grunted in pain, mainly from crashing into a wall.

"You should also be more careful," the samurai said. "I suggest you give up."

But Jimmy would have none of it; none at all. "I'm not giving up," Jimmy replied as he stood up. "My pa's regiment fought hard, and to honor my pa's legacy, I'll do just the same. His brigade's motto was 'they shall never retreat from the charge of lances'. In other words, I AM NOT GIVING UP, EVER! I WILL CONTINUE ON IN HONOR OF THE IRISH BRIGADE!"

"The Irish Brigade?" The samurai asked. He dodged again when Jimmy fired his Colt again. The American was a spirited fellow.

"_Faugh a ballagh_[3]_!_" Jimmy shouted as he fired his Colt again. The samurai dodged again, this time Jimmy had the upper hand.

"You're a spirited fellow!" The samurai said. "I'm impressed! And you seem to say your father was a soldier!"

"My pa fought in the War Between the States," Jimmy replied. "He fought in the Irish Brigade and served in the Battle of Gettysburg for the Union. I am proud of what he has done!"

"Interesting," the samurai said. "You're like me—in a sense."

"How is that?" Jimmy asked.

"It's complicated," the samurai replied. "Your father and I have one thing in common: we both fought in our respective wars. Your father fought in this War Between the States you talk about and I served in the Meiji Revolution, fighting for the Imperialist side. After that, I came here."

"Oh, so that's what you're doing in America," Jimmy said. "You're out of place here. Especially those honor codes I've heard of."

"I suppose you're right," the man said. "But enough talk. IT'S TIME TO FINISH THIS!" He charged Jimmy again, brandishing his sword. Once again, Jimmy had his back against the wall—literally, this time. But Jimmy stood his ground, cocked his gun and aimed it at the samurai, and fired. _BANG!_

The action stopped. The samurai stopped in mid-stride. Jimmy stood still, his Colt barrel still smoking. There was a tense silence, which was a vast contrast to the loud noise of the fight earlier. Then, the samurai's sword split into and half of the blade fell to the ground. Jimmy had shot the sword at the right spot, and despite the legendary strength of the samurai sword, it had still broken in two. "Not bad," the samurai said. "Although I suppose this comes from my sword being so old. Still, you're not a bad shot."

"Practice," Jimmy replied as he twirled his gun a couple times.

"Very well then," the man said. "I'll let you through to arrest Jakotsu." With that, he stepped aside to let Jimmy through. The American obliged and walked past the samurai to find Jakotsu.

However, Kyo found him first. After encountering little resistance, Kyo managed to find the room where he suspected Jakotsu was. Like the hallway, it was lousy with goons. But Kyo just swung his sword once and took out all of the goons in the room. Now, it was just him, an older man and a few bodyguards at the end of the room. "Ah, Kyo Sohma," said the older man. He was slightly overweight, bald, and middle-aged. Kyo knew exactly who it was.

"Jakotsu," he said. "At last I've found you."

"It's nice to see you as well," Jakotsu replied. "I've been looking forward to this ever since I heard you killed Kaitou."

"So have I," Kyo replied. "But I must get to the point. I am now Deputy Sheriff of the town of L'Amour, Arizona. I have an arrest warrant for you." With that, he pulled the arrest warrant for Jakotsu to see. The crime boss simply sat there. "By order of the Yavapai County judge in Prescott, I place you under arrest and you are to come to Prescott to face trial. If you do not, I shall be forced to either kill you or apprehend you myself."

"Arrest?" Jakotsu said with a laugh on his tone. "HAHAHAHAHAHAHA! I'm wanted? Those American fools! Don't they know who I am?"

"Apparently not," Kyo replied. "It took two weeks just for the judge to reply to a request for an arrest warrant. The sheriff of L'Amour doesn't even know who you are."

"Well, now that you say this, then I must be honored that they want to arrest me," Jakotsu said. "But they won't get me."

"Do you think you're above the law?" Kyo asked with venom on his tone. "You may have been in Japan, but not here."

"You fool," Jakotsu replied. "I won't turn myself in. Not because I'm not above the law, but because I just won't."

"You'll regret that," Kyo replied as he sheathed his reverse-blade sword and drew his _katana_. He was serious. "I'll kill you if I have to."

"Then do it!" Jakotsu shouted. Suddenly, the man got up and charged Kyo. Kyo stood his ground and prepared to defend himself. "DIE, SOHMA!" He shouted as he brought his sword down on Kyo. But Kyo aimed his strike at Jakotsu's chest and thrust his sword at Jakotu's chest. Jakotsu stopped. His face now had a look of pain and shock on it. At the same time, the men who were knocked out by Kyo watched in shock as Kyo's blade stuck out of the man's back. Jakotsu's eyes rolled backwards and when Kyo revmoed his sword, he fell to the ground. Blood pooled around the body as the last breath of life left it.

Kyo was not happy. He had hoped to bring him in and bring him to justice, but now that he had killed—"Well done, Kyo." Suddenly, Kyo looked at the source of the voice.

"Who was that?" He asked. "Show yourself!" It was then that a feminine-looking man stepped forward. He was not much older than Kyo, and he had black hair and had combination feminine-masculine body. "Who are you?" Kyo asked.

"Oh, I must apologize," the person said. "Well then, allow me to introduce myself. I am the real Jakotsu. And it's a pleasure to finally meet you, Kyo."

_To be continued_

[1] In this context, 'queer' means strange, not homosexual.

[2] Oh come on, you know who he's talking about!

[3] "Clear the way!"


	6. Storming the Mansion, part 2: Showdown

Outside the mansion, Karen and Tohru were busy handling some of Jakotsu's goons. The action was quick and intense, but the ladies were able to rise to the situation with gusto. Karen fired from her six-shooter at an assailant. The shot missed, but it kept the assailant at bay. Karen then fired her shotgun. This shot managed to at least partially hit the enemy, because half of the shot missed. It still was enough to bring him down, though. She then grabbed the barrel—she was wearing gloves, so she didn't feel the heat of the barrel—and swung it to strike another enemy with the butt of the gun.

Tohru, meanwhile, fought like a woman possessed. As stated before, she may seem like a delicate young woman and she had his during the shootout at the Sohma farm, but she was a force with her _naginata_. She swung her staff above her head like a helicopter blade—although that's a modern analogy, it still works here—and brought it down upon her enemy. The blade at the end of the staff did strike its opponent, but only knocking him out—the non-blade side is what struck him. She then swung her blade again this time taking out a pair of goons. "Is this all they can send at us?" Karen asked as she whacked another goon.

"I guess not," Tohru replied. But that soon changed. After taking out another goon thanks to the assistance of Ping, Tohru turned around to face another opponent when she saw a large, blob-like man walking towards them. "Oh no," Tohru said.

"What is it—oh, damn," Karen had turned around to see what Tohru was talking about, and she too saw the large man approaching. "Wasn't he already dead?"

"I think that's a different one," Tohru said.

"You already killed him?" Ping asked.

"Well, Jimmy did," Karen said.

"Well then, that's a different man," Ping replied. "They must have more than one."

Well the discussion was cut short when the large blob man took his massive right arm and swung it at the three of them, forcing them to scatter. Karen and Tohru were on the right side of the street, Ping on the left. "How are we going to attack him?" Tohru asked.

"We'll have to keep him on his toes," Ping replied. "We should attack from all sides. Tohru and I will attack up close and Karen, you shoot at him."

"That's not too bad an idea," Karen replied. "I just hope I can get some shots off." She said this as she reloaded her shotgun. The blob man was still approaching, and he was not looking happy.

"Get ready," Ping said. Tohru prepared her _naginata _while Karen took aim with her shotgun. Ping raised his hand to signal when to go. The blob continued to approach, but even then, Ping still kept his hand up. Finally, the blob got close enough, and Ping shouted, "Tohru, let's go!"

"Right!" With that, Ping and Tohru both left their hiding spots and ran at the blob-man. Karen, meanwhile, fired her shotgun to distract the blob man. It worked, and Ping got close enough to jump and kick the man's face with an impressive jump-kick. Tohru, meanwhile, charged as well and swung her _naginata _at the blob man. It apparently hit the man, but it really didn't do much. The skin was tougher than any skin she had dealt with. "The skin is too strong!" She said.

"Oh no," Karen said before firing another blast from her shotgun. "We're in trouble."

--

Meanwhile, inside the mansion, Jimmy was facing little difficulty in his search for Jaktosu. So little trouble in fact, that he had put his Colt .45 away and was just using his boxing skills to take out his opponents like a prize fighter. And if he had to, he just used a Derringer pistol to take them out. Right now, he was in a room filled with goons, taking them out with precision.

One goon tried to bring his sword down on Jimmy. Jimmy dodged and punched the man in the face with an upper-cut. A quick jab finished the man off. One man did see Jimmy was going with the fists-only approach, so he also went with the fists-only approach. But Jimmy kept his dukes up and dodged whatever the man could throw at him before responding with a jab to the man's face. That too, took him out.

Then Jimmy dodged a goon who swung his sword at him. Not bad for someone who doesn't know how to wield a sword. But he responded by punching the man in the gut and when the man doubled over, Jimmy elbowed him in the back of the neck, sending him to the floor. Next, he elbowed a man behind him and punched a feller in front. These fellers were relatively easy for Jimmy to take out. Much easier than that samurai he had faced earlier.

With a few more strikes, Jimmy finished off the rest of the room. Now he could move on to the next room to find Jakotsu. At the same time, he wondered how Karen, Ping and Tohru were doing and if Kyo had found Jakotsu. But he could only worry right now about his own fight.

--

Speaking of which, Kyo did find Jakotsu, and found he wasn't what he had expected. Instead of the fat, bald, middle-aged man he had expected, he had run into a man who was probably only 4 years older than him and had a semi-feminine appearance. Needless to say, Kyo was beyond surprised. "Well?" Jakotsu asked "Aren't you going to say anything?"

But Kyo was stunned silent. He had no idea this was Jakotsu. And yes, that did need to be repeated. "You're Jakotsu?" Kyo asked. "But what about the Jakotsu I remembered?"

"Oh, you mean the old one?" This new Jakotsu asked. "He's dead." Kyo's eyes widened instantly in shock at this new revelation that the other Jakotsu was dead.

"He's _dead_?" Kyo asked. "But how?"

"He was killed before we left the port for America," he replied. "He passed the title of 'Jakotsu' on to me."

"Title?" Kyo asked. "What do you mean?"

"The title of Jakotsu goes to the leader of this syndicate," Jakotsu replied. "I am the next one, as you see. So now you want to arrest me."

"Exactly," Kyo replied. The shock had worn off slightly and now he knew he had to get down to business.

"I'm afraid that won't happen," Jakotsu replied. "I will kill you and your friend."

"You know about Jimmy _Mikurusu-san_?" Kyo replied. "But how?"

"That's his name?" Jakotsu asked. "So he's the one who's been shouting and shooting up my mansion. Oh, well. Who is he?"

"He's an American," Kyo replied. "And he does not wield a sword. He's armed with a Colt pistol."

"Well now, I must thank you for telling me who he is," Jakotsu replied. "Now I can send an assassin to kill him." Kyo's eyes again widened at this. "Subaru!" He said. At that point, a young man, probably younger than Kyo, stood up and walked over to Jakotsu. The boy also had a strange smile on his face. Kyo suspected this smile was not genuine. "I want you to find an American," Jakotsu said. "And kill him."

"Yes sir," the young man said. "I shall do my best, for I am strong, and only the strong survive. He will not stand a chance against me."

"Thank you Subaru," he said as the young man known a Subaru left the room. "The young man is skilled with his sword. Your friend will die."

"Except Jimmy is quick with a gun," Kyo replied. "He won't be so easy."

"A gun?" Jakotsu asked. "Really? And you think he will succeed against one of my best swordsmen?"

"Even though the swordsman is out of place here," Kyo replied. "The time of the swordsman is over. The time of the gunslinger is now. We're outdated, like the Tokugawa shogunate. Here, we're just some exotic item from another land. And yes, I have seen this myself. Jimmy's kind is at their peak. A swordsman wouldn't last in a shootout."

"You seem to think this era will last," Jakotsu replied. "Not when we're through."

"What do you mean 'through'?" Kyo asked.

"Oh, it's simple," Jakotsu replied. "We're going to take over this country."

--

Outside, Karen, Ping and Tohru were having little luck against the blob man. Much like the one from the Sohma farm shootout, this blob man had some very tough skin, like an armadillo's; except it wasn't a shell; it was just an analogy to show how tough the man's skin was. Of course, that's also when Karen remembered how Jimmy killed the previous blob man—by blowing its brains out. "Ping! Tohru!" She shouted. "I think I may have to shoot the head!"

"Why would you do that?" Ping asked as he blocked a punch from the blob man.

"Because that's how the first one was killed!" She shouted back. Ping looked wide-eyed in shock, while Tohru had her scared look on again. No, she did not like guns, and no, she did not like seeing men's brains get blown out. "Tohru, it might be the only way!" Karen said to her.

"Well," Tohru began. "Okay." With that, Tohru began to attack the blob man again to get it into position for Karen to shoot his head. Of course, that in of itself is not easy. Especially since the blob man would not cooperate with Karen's plans one bit. All Karen could do was wait with a shell in her shotgun until the opportunity rose.

--

Back inside the mansion, Jimmy was getting tired of finding the wrong door. Each time he found a door that he thought led to Jakotsu, he would come across a room full of goons. Which also begged the question, how did Jakotsu bring all these fellers with him from Japan, anyhow? But that didn't matter. Right now he had to find Jakotsu—but that meant finding which room he was in. And since he didn't know how Japanese houses were laid out, he didn't know what to do.

It was then that Jimmy stumbled upon what seemed to be an empty room. At first he was relieved, but then he noticed that there was someone standing in there. It was a young man, probably three years younger than him, wearing a red _kimono _top and a pair of hand guards as well as a pair of _hakama _that had the socks pulled up over them like a base ball player's socks. And what was stranger was that he had a smile on his face. But there was also something blank about it; like it wasn't real. "Who are you?" Jimmy asked.

"Ah, Jimmy _Mikurusu-san_," he said. "Welcome."

"How do you know my name?" Jimmy asked. "And how do you speak English?"

"Your friend Kyo Sohma said who you are," the young man said. "I have been sent here to kill you." And he said that with that same smile on his face.

"You're going to what?" Jimmy asked. "Kill me?"

The young man nodded again, with the same smile. There was certainly something creepy about him. "That's right," he said. "My name is Subaru Nakajima, from Kyoto. And where are you from?"

"Chicago," Jimmy replied. "And now, I'm going to kill _you_."

"I'd like to see you try," the young man said with the smile still on his face. Jimmy's face however, was like iron, as well as the steely-eyed look that Sheriff Kane wore all the time. It was then than Jimmy stepped into the room in front of Subaru. The only sound was Jimmy's boots touching the wooden floor and his spurs jingling. Then, Jimmy stood in front of Subaru in a scene reminiscent of a stereotypical Western. The only difference here was that his opponent had a sword and Jimmy had a gun and they were in a Japanese mansion in the middle of the Arizona desert. Jimmy squinted while Subaru still smiled. "This looks fun," Subaru said.

"I do reckon with will be interesting," Jimmy replied. "I'm gonna make you regret facing me."

"We shall see," Subaru replied in his creepily cheerful tone.

The two stayed silent, as if waiting for the other to move. It was East vs. West in the Wild West; Subaru, the East and Jimmy the West. And not, this was not a fight to prove which was superior; just the circumstance of the little showdown. Jimmy kept his right hand near his holster, watching for Subaru's hand. Jimmy knew his hands were fast, but he wasn't sure how fast this kid was. All he could see was Subaru's smile. And that's what made him even more nervous. There was something about that smile he could not quite put his finger on. In order to stop being nervous, Jimmy took a deep breath and began to count down in his mind. 10… 9… 8… 7… 6… 5… 4… 3… 2… 1… GO!!!

At that instant, in a lightning-fast move, Jimmy reached for his Colt and drew it from the holster, cocked the hammer and fired his gun. _BANG! _It looked as though he had succeeded, but then he realized--

"Where'd he go?" The kid had disappeared, and Jimmy found himself trying to find him. He searched around the room, trying to find him, but he was no where to be seen. For a moment, he wondered where the kid was until—

Jimmy did manage to get a good look behind him when he noticed the kid coming down on him. Jimmy had little time to react, and did his best to dodge the sword strike. Surbaru brought his sword down and—"Oh damn, I missed," Subaru said in his strangely serene voice. Jimmy had gotten out of the way. "Not bad," Subaru said to Jimmy. He then took his sword and prepared to strike again. "But not good enough!" He said as he charged Jimmy. At the same time, Jimmy aimed his six-shooter at Subaru and prepared to fire.

--

Kyo and Jakotsu heard Jimmy's shot. "Subaru must have met your friend," Jakotsu said. It was then that Kyo noticed Jakotsu had let his guard down. It was the perfect time to strike. Kyo positioned his _katana _got into a ready stance. Then, he launched himself at Jakotsu, who was still not paying attention. Kyo thought this was going to be easy. He brought his sword up and then brought it down on Jakotsu…

…Only for it to be blocked. "What?" He said in shock. Jakotsu had grabbed his sword and only partially unsheathed it, but enough for it to block Kyo's attack. "I saw you coming," Jakotsu said. "Did you actually think you could kill me that easily?"

"I was hoping for that," Kyo replied as he backed off temporarily. Jakotsu took the time to unsheathe his blade. In the meantime, Jakotsu's bodyguards back off and some left the room to give the two combatants their space to fight. Then, Jakotsu launched himself at Kyo was forced to defend himself and with a quick move, blocked the blade.

"Not bad," Jakotsu said. "You're just like Kazuma Sohma."

"You'd better believe it," Kyo replied as he threw Jakotsu off of him. "Now it's my turn." With that, he launched himself at Jakotsu, hoping for an opening. Jakotsu however, blocked the attack. Then, the two began trading volleys, blocking and parrying each attack for 30 seconds at a fast pace. The men in the room watched in awe at Jakotsu and Kyo's intense battle before the two combatants stopped.

Both of them remained still for a few seconds before standing up and facing each other again. "Not bad," Jakotsu said. "I see you've been practicing."

"I only learned from the best after all," Kyo replied.

"That's true," said Jakotsu. "Oh, by the way, I must tell you about Subaru and your friend."

"Why?" Kyo replied. "In a sense, Jimmy is not a part of this fight."

"I just felt like sharing," Jakotsu replied. "You see, your friend is doomed." Kyo's eyebrows twitched. "Yes, it's true. Even if he does have quick hands as you say, he's till no match for Subaru's speed. Subaru will get close enough before _Mikurusu-san _can get off a shot. He won't stand a chance. Not only that, once he runs out of bullets, Subaru will finish him off!"

"No." Kyo said, his face full of shock.

"And not only that, your fiancé is outside fighting a losing battle against our second fat man. She and your friend's friend will fall to him!"

"TOHRU!" Kyo shouted. Then, suddenly, Jakotsu attacked him. Quickly Kyo blocked the attack. It was then he realized Jakotsu was only playing with his emotions so that he'd let his guard down. "Your words won't work anymore Jakotsu," he said. 'I'm up to your tricks."

"Oh, really?" Jakotsu asked. "Don't worry, I have much more where those came from!"

"I won't let you toy with my emotions like that," Kyo said as he readied himself for another attack.

"We'll see," Jakotsu replied. Kyo then readied himself and charged at Jaktosu, this time ready to thrust his sword at Jakotsu. Jakotsu indeed blocked the attack, but Kyo had another card up his sleeve. It was then that Kyo simply punched Jaktosu in his face while his blade was locked with Kyo's. His attack worked and Jakotsu was forced into a defensive position while Kyo brought his sword down upon Jakotsu. However, the attack was still blocked. "Not bad," Jakotsu said. "But you've also made me angry. YOU RUINED MY BEAUTIFUL FACE!!!" He removed his hand to reveal a bruise on his face. Needless to say, Kyo was not impressed.

"Oh, stop complaining," Kyo replied. Kyo then attacked Jakotsu again.

--

Tohru took another swing at the blob man back outside the mansion. She and Ping were still trying to get him into position for Karen to blow his brains out, but the blob man would not cooperate one bit. Every time they got him close to Karen, he would move away from her. Naturally, the three of them were getting frustrated. "Dammit!" Karen shouted. "Why won't he just cooperate?"

"He must be smarter than we think," Ping said as he blocked a punch from the blob man.

"Even though he just acts like dumb muscle," Karen replied.

"Or dumb fat," Ping added.

"Just hold on," Tohru said. "We'll get him sooner or later!" Ping and Tohru continued to fight the blob man as best they could. Tohru herself fought bravely, using her _naginata _to block whatever the blob man threw at her. A quick swipe kept the blob man on his heels. It seemed to be useless until Karen had an idea.

"Wait!" Karen said. "Why don't you try herding him?"

"Herding?" Ping asked as he dodged a punch from the man. "I don't know—wait, I think it might work!"

"How will it work?" Tohru asked as she took a swing at the blob man.

"It's simple, all we have to do is act like those cowboys," Ping said. 'We just have to move him to Karen!"

"That might work," Tohru said, "Okay Karen, we'll try our best!"

"Don't try your best," Karen replied. "_Do _your best!"

"Okay!" Tohru replied. At that point, she and Ping began to try and herd the blob man closer to Karen to give her a shot.

--

Back in the mansion, Jimmy was having his own problems with the smiling kid. It's practically impossible to fight a kid armed with a sword while armed with a gun, especially since every time Jimmy managed to line a shot up, the kid would use some technique to move at such an inhuman speed that every shot Jimmy would get off would miss. And now Jimmy was running out of ammo—in his pistol; he still had his ammo belt. But the problem was when he needed to reload. The kid could easily finish him off when he had to reload. And not only that, but the kid wasn't even getting tired! At the same time, he had that creepily serene smile on his face. How could that kid be so serene and yet so violent and practically sadistic? "I'm not sure if I'm having fun," the kid said.

"How can you not be having fun?" Jimmy replied. "YOU'RE LITERALLY RUNNING CIRCLES AROUND ME!!!" Not only that, he was getting his butt kicked.

"Oh, you're right," the kid said. "Then I guess you're not having fun."

"How can you smile like that?" Jimmy asked. "Don't you have any feelings?"

The kid seemed to ignore the question, though, which told Jimmy something was wrong with the kid. Then, the kid suddenly spoke again. "I'm going to try again, so be ready."

_I'm nearly out of bullets! _Jimmy thought. _He'd better not! _He needed a plan. How was he going to take this kid out? He didn't get much of a chance to think it over, because the kid attacked him again. Out of reflex, he shot at the kid, but he again missed.

"You need to aim better!" The kid said. And he said it right in Jimmy's face. You can imagine how his face looked. Especially when the kid kicked him down, that made things even worse.

"Dammit!" He shouted as he landed on his backside. To his left, there was also a woman, whom he had not noticed standing in the doorway. He suspected she was either the kid's caretaker or just there to guard the door. The woman said something in Japanese, and the kid replied, still wearing that damn smile. Jimmy was loath to load his gun now. If he did, the kid would attack him. But he didn't think about the possibility the kid knew he was out.

"I think you're out of bullets," Subaru said. Jimmy groaned in response, as he was not happy that he knew he was out. "I'll let you reload, though." Well, that changes things.

"Fair enough," Jimmy said. Not that he had the chance, he could reload and figure out the plan for taking out the kid. As he reloaded, he tried to read the kid's face. But his perpetual blank smile made any attempt to read it impossible. But it also made Jimmy suspicious. What was that kid hiding with that smile? Was he really that happy? No, he wasn't that happy. He could tell because whenever Jimmy smiled, his smile was genuine. Of course, judging from the way he smiled had nothing to do with the way the kid smiled.

It was then that Jimmy came up with a plan. If he couldn't read the kid's face, maybe he could do the same by having an equally blank face. The kid would have no idea what he was planning. But how was he going to do it? Well, he decided to start by putting his gun back in the holster. The kid watched with what Jimmy suspected to be curiosity, but even then, he still didn't know. "What are you doing?" The kid asked.

"I'm not telling," Jimmy replied in a flat voice. It was then that he changed to look on his face to one of complete neutrality; no emotion, just like the kid. "You'll have to wait and see."

"I reckon I will," the kid replied. Then, he began tapping his left foot on the floor. Jimmy at first looked curious, but erased that look. He had to concentrate. The kid continued tapping until he said, "Okay, here I go!" And with that, he disappeared.

At first, Jimmy was astounded. How did he do that? But his thoughts were interrupted when he noticed the kid out of the corner of his right—no, left—no, right eye. The kid was moving fast. If he kept doing this, he could kill Jimmy five times before he hit the ground. He had to focus. He kept his eye, searching for the kid. Then he noticed him coming straight for him, ready to strike. Jimmy, who had his hands at his side, prepared to draw his gun to catch the kid off guard.

"Die!" The kid shouted, coming from his right. That's when Jimmy knew to strike. With a move nearly as fast as the kid, he drew his pistol from his holster and fired. The shot just barely missed, but it was apparent it affected the kid somehow, because he had stopped. "Wow," the kid said after stopping. "I guess I underestimate you. You're better than I thought. I'll have to much better now."

"I'm full of surprises," Jimmy replied and fired again. The bullet struck the sword, but nothing happened. Subaru just looked at him strangely.

"I don't think that was a good idea," he said. Now Jimmy's no coward, but unfortunately, Jimmy started to panic because he forgot about his plan; it would probably work once, anyway. The kid had him on his heels and he was forced to duck into a closet, shutting the door on the kid.

--

Kyo, however, was having a slightly easier fight—so to speak. He and Jakotsu were evenly matched, so didn't have all the troubles Jimmy was having. He was, however, having a difficult fight against Jakotsu. He suspected Jaktosu must have had some kind of expert training, possibly from the original Jakotsu. Kyo tried to thrust his blade at jakotsu, but his attack was parried and Jakotsu tried to bring his sword down on him. However, Kyo managed to recover quickly enough to block the attack and also parry it. "You're good," Jakostu said during a break in the action. "You'd be perfect for out plan to take over."

"What do you mean, 'take over'?" Kyo asked.

"Oh, I'm sorry, I never told you about that," Jakotsu said. "Well, since I'm going to kill you I might as well tell you. You see, we're going to take over this country."

"You said you were going to do that already!" Kyto shouted as he charged Jakotsu again. He tried to backhand his opponent, but Jakotsu blocked the attack and the two locked blades.

"Oh yes, I forgot about that," Jakotsu replied. "But I might as well tell you the details. You see, we're building an arsenal and we're going to start recruiting to build up an army large enough to attack the capital of this country and overthrow the government, just because we can!" Jakotsu then threw Kyo off before attacking him again, but Kyo blocked the attack.

"That's impossible!" Kyo shouted back. "I've seen maps of this country. Their capital is all the way on the Eastern coast, thousands of American miles away! And their army is more powerful than you think."

"Really?" Jakotsu said. "I never said we would walk!" He attacked Kyo again, putting Kyo on the defensive. "We'll just take the train! We'll walk up their capital and we'll force this country's leaders to obey our demands!" Jakotsu said, hamming it up. Kyo was still not impressed, though.

"Like I said, you wouldn't stand a chance," he said. He was still on the defensive, but he was already planning to turn that around. "I doubt you even have the supplies to—"

"I said we're not walking!" Jakotsu replied. Now he was beginning to _really _ham it up, and he stopped fighting to do so, even making flamboyant gestures like an overacting _kabuki _actor. "We'll take over the railroad if we have to! We'll work with the Mexicans, they clearly don't like the Americans! We'll even work with the British! Or the French! Or even the Russians or Germans, it doesn't matter! And when we're through, THE AMERICANS WILL FALL TO THEIR KNEES AND BOW BEFORE ME!!! THEIR PATHETIC, DEMOCRATIC SYSTEM OF GOVERNMENT WILL BE WIPED FROM THE PAGES OF HISTORY!!! A NEW ORDER WILL--" It was then that Jakotsu blocked Kyo's next attack. All his hamming it up had distracted him and Kyo was not in the mood to hear his monologue.

"Shut up," Kyo said. "You talk too much." The two combatants threw each other off and stared each other down.

"Very well then," Jakotsu said. "I suppose I got distracted by my dreams. I won't get distracted anymore. Now it's just you and me, Kyo."

"Bring it," Kyo said. He then charged Jakotsu again. Unfortunately, he forgot about Jakotsu's other strategy.

"Oh, that reminds me," he said. "What about your mother?" Suddenly, Kyo twitched, ever so slightly. Jakotsu smiled. He had struck a nerve.

"Shut up," Kyo said through gritted teeth. "Don't you dare talk about her like that."

"Oh, you don't know me very well," Jakotsu said as he swung his sword at Kyo, which he dodged. Kyo counterattacked, getting angry. Jakotsu smirked. His plan was working. He just had to push Kyo's buttons a little more. And then, once that happened, he would make his move. Kyo would not stand a chance.

--

"Okay, Karen," said Tohru. "We've almost got him!" Tohru and Ping had been herding the blob man for a few minutes now and they were beginning to get him close to Karen's position behind a barrel. Now Karen herself was not a coward, she just stayed there to make sure the blob man didn't see her; it was a tactical position. Karen smiled. It was only a matter of time, now.

Ping, meanwhile, was less enthusiastic. "I'm not sure about that," he said as he blocked a punch from the blob man.

"It doesn't matter!" Karen said. "Just get him close enough!"

"Then why don't _you _get close enough?" He shouted. Suddenly, Karen felt real silly. Ping had a point, and she should not have been hiding behind a barrel. It was then that Karen got out from behind the barrel to get close to the blob man.

"Just get him close enough," Karen said, loading her shotgun.

"How are you going to shoot him?" Tohru asked as she swung her _naginata_.

"Right between the eyes," Karen replied.

Ping and Tohru continued to fight, while Karen tried to get into position to shoot him. The last time, the blob man had tripped and Jimmy only fired accidentally, but it was enough to blow the man's brains out. She could only hope that this time, the circumstances were the same—or better.

"Ping, you're right!" Tohru shouted. The blob man was trying to punch Ping, but the Chinese man was able to block it again, allowing Tohru to get an open attack. She swung her staff, striking the man, but again, it didn't work out quite as planned.

But then, it began to change. The blob man noticed Karen, and began to charge her like a rhino. Now Karen was regretting getting out in the open, because the blob man could easily overrun her. "Karen-san!" Tohru shouted as she stepped in front of the blob man.

"Tohru, what are you doing?" Karen asked.

"I'm going to stop it!" She shouted back as she got into a defensive position. However, the blob man ignored her and knocked her out of the way.

"Tohru!" Karen shouted. Tohru was lying on the ground, clearly in pain. At the same time, Karen's face was full of fear as the blob man charged her. However, she gathered up her courage, cocked the shotgun and aimed at the blob man's head. The blob man continued to charge, not slowing down one bit. Karen was worried she would not get a shot of until—

Suddenly, the blob man began to fall. Karen looked to just notice that Ping had tripped it before she aimed her shotgun at the blob man's head. When he was close enough, Karen pulled both the triggers on her shotgun, and the gun went off. _BANG!_

--

Inside, meanwhile, Jimmy was thinking about his plans. He was still inside the closet, and the kid, Subaru, was still waiting outside. There had to be some way to beat that kid, he knew. The problem was, it wasn't coming to him at the moment. And that taunting was getting on his nerves, too. "What's wrong, _Mikurusu-san?"_ Subaru asked. "Why are you hiding in there? Are you a coward?" That word hit a nerve with him. There was no way Jimmy was a coward. But the kid was so good with a sword and no fast he had no other choice but to hide the closet with the guns and—

Wait, guns!? That's it! If only he could find the right gun to use against him. Instantly, he began sifting among the linens, looking for a good gun; one that would stand up to a sword; one that would probably break it. He looked, and then—found it! "Springfield!" He whispered. "Rifle musket model 1863!" There was indeed a Springfield rifle musket there, one that he picked up. And from what it looked like, ammunition as well, and even a bayonet. Whatever these Jakotsu fellers were planning, it must have been big. Since the kid was not looking, it gave him time to load the weapon.

"What's taking him so long?" The woman, Haruka, asked outside the closet. Jimmy could hear them conversing in Japanese, but he couldn't understand them.

"I'm not sure," Subaru replied. "I guess he's just a coward."

"He doesn't sound like a coward," Hikaru replied. "I thought I heard him cackling. Back inside the closet, Jimmy finished ramming the minie ball bullet and the gunpowder down the barrel. He did not put the percussion cap on and did not cock the hammer, mainly so he could trick the kid into thinking it was not loaded. Then, he affixed the bayonet on the barrel. Jimmy laughed to himself. His dad had taught him how to fight with a bayonet and all those years he though the man was loco. Turns out this skill will come in handy—hopefully.

Subaru watched as Jimmy, with a determined look on his face, exited the linen/weapon closet. Subaru's perpetual smile was still on his face, contrasted to Jimmy's face, which as stated previously, had a determined look on his face. "Well," he said. "I was going to ask you to give up, but I guess you're not going to, are you?"

That seemed to get Jimmy's attention. Even the mention of giving up changed his demeanor. "Me? Give up?" He asked. "NEVER!!!" Subaru should have been surprised at Jimmy's sudden switch to spirited mode, but he still had the smile on his face. Jimmy readied the rifle with the bayonet on the barrel, ready to charge. "They shall never retreat from the charge of lances," he said. "That was my dad's old army unit's motto. And it's my motto now. I AM NOT GIVING UP, EVER!!! I WILL FIGHT UNTIL I SEE YOU LYING ON THE GROUND!!!"

"My, you're enthusiastic," Subaru said. "You seem to have hot blood."

"Hot blood, eh?" Jimmy asked. He seemed to like the description of his personality. Hot blood… hot-blooded! I like that! Yeah, I'm hot-blooded! Unlike you! Now prepare yourself, kid!"

"Then I guess I will just have to fight harder then," Subaru said as he prepared himself. Jimmy then began to charge.

"_FAUGH A BALLAGH!!!"_ He shouted again, and charged Subaru, yelling like a banshee. Subaru, however, stood there with his smile still on his face. Hikaru, meanwhile, began to panic, thinking Jimmy would get to him.

"Kid, move!" She shouted. Just as Jimmy was getting to him, Subaru vanished again, much to Jimmy's bewilderment. However, he told himself he should have anticipated the kid's move. Jimmy stayed in position, waiting for Subaru to appear again. On a pure whim, he turned around to defend his back.

Sure enough, Subaru had going to attack there. Jimmy put up his rifle just in time to block Subaru's sword strike. Jimmy gritted his teeth, trying to keep the rifle level. He had used the metal gun barrel to block the attack, since the sword could clearly cut through the wood. On the sidelines, Hikaru stood there with a shocked look on her face, as if she did not think Jimmy could block the attack. However, Subaru's face was the biggest difference, sure it didn't seem like much, since he was still smiling, but now his eyes had widened ever-so-slightly, but enough for Jimmy to notice he was indeed surprised.

It was then that Jimmy threw the kid off and began thrusting his bayonet at Subaru, trying to get him off guard, while the younger fighter blocked each attack. Then Jimmy thrust the baynet righ at Subaru's face, which was blocked by the kid and the blade of the bayhnoet and the sword locked. Jimmy took the oppourtunity to get close to Subaru to try and intimidate him him by gritting his teeth and making an intense face. Subaru then threw Jimmy off, but Jimmy went right back on the attack. Although it didn't seem that way—to some--the tide had turned; now it was the hot-blooded gunslinger Jimmy on the offensive, and the smiling stoic swordsman Subaru on the defensive. Plus, it was only a matter of time until Subaru's mask was shattered.

--

In his fight, Kyo was also on the offensive against Jakotsu; but that was only physically. Jakotsu was planning to use Kyo's anger against him and had just begun to taunt Kyo to bring out that anger. Of course, he was starting small. "You fight well Kyo," he said insincerely. "For a beginner!"

"Shut up!" Kyo shouted back as he took a big swing. He attacked again, but it was blocked by Jakotsu. Then the two entered a furious combat mode, swinging their swords at each other in a raging storm that seemed to scare the rest of Jakotsu's men. It continued for a few more minutes, neither combatant letting up on the other, and Kyo was on the offensive, just to let you know. The two nearly got to one of the walls, but Jakotsu then began to get more aggressive, trying to gain the upper hand himself. Then, he threw Kyo off of him, ending the fury.

"You need to finish that Kyo," he taunted. "Didn't Kazuma teach you better? Oh, I guess I shouldn't be too easy on him. He was a lousy swordsman, after all."

"Be QUIET!!!" Kyo shouted as he took a nasty cut at Jakotsu. Jakotsu smirked, since his strategy was beginning to work. Kyo was getting agitated, and it would only be a matter of how much Jakotsu taunted him until he snapped. And if you think Kyo's better when he's mad, you just wait and see.

"I'm really disappointed in you Kyo," Jakotsu said. "I always assumed you were the best of Kazuma's students, but you fight like the worst student of a lousy teacher!"

"YOU BE QUIET!!!" Kyo shouted as he took a big cut at Jakotsu. Although Kyo was getting angry, Kyo was in the angry enough mode to be aggressive, but still calm enough to have a clear head. And that's what was going on now. Kyo had Jakotsu on the defensive, making it difficult for the gang leader to mount a counter-attack. He was also regretting making Kyo mad.

Kyo continued to press on his attack. He thrust his sword several times at Jakotsu, keeping his opponent on his heels. He then took a big swing which actually managed to cut a bit of Jakotsu's _kimono_, but only barely; he had just grazed the cloth. Jakotsu needed to make a move until Kyo backed him into a wall—which, by the way, was happening right now. And Jakotsu was starting to panic, ever-so-slightly. But he jumped out of the way and back into the center of the room. But Kyo noticed this and was back on the offensive lickety-split.

Jakotsu knew he was running out time. He had to get Kyo really mad. And, he could have fun doing it. But Kyo's aggressive attacks were keeping him from thinking of anything at all. But he did find something. "You know what I'm going to do to your fiancé when I'm through with you?" He asked.

"You wouldn't DARE!!!" Kyo shouted. Jakotsu had hit a massive nerve. Now he could take advantage of Kyo's love for Tohru.

"Yes, when I'm thorugh, she'll squeal _rather _nicely!" He said. "What is she like in bed?"

"SHUT UP!!!" Kyo shouted. Jakotsu's plan was starting to work. Kyo was getting angry enough that he was _really _losing his cool. Anymore taunting by Jakotsu and Kyo could lose it. Of course, that was Jakotsu's plan anyway. But still, Kyo was not letting up his attacks.

Kyo took a massive swing at Jakotsu, hoping to get Jakotsu. But Jakotsu not only blocked it, he parried the attack, and then went on a mini-offensive to get Kyo. "Is that all you've got?" Jakotsu taunted.

"No," Kyo replied. Jakotsu mentally punched himself; that wasn't going to work! He still had to get… personal.

"Your father would be furious if he saw you fighting like this!" He said. "Oh, that's right, you hate him!"

Exactly. "SHUT UUUUUUPPPP!!!" Kyo bellowed. Oh, that worked!

"Oh, and I was wondering how your mother died, too," Jakotsu said. Now he was getting _really _personal.

"You don't know anything!" Kyo shouted. But Jakotsu smiled. He had Kyo right were he wanted him; and he as not going to let up. Kyo continued to attack, driving Jakotsu back as much as he could. Although he was getting angry, a thought in the back of his mind was telling him to calm down, or he might make a devastating mistake.

--

"Well, not a bad little bit of killing, if I say so myself," Karen said in Japanese. She was sitting on the body of the blob man, who had his brains… well, it's possible you already know what's being inferred. Ping and Tohru were resting, since they didn't have to fight anymore. And they were certainly glad about this.

"I just wish you hadn't done that in front of me," Tohru said, trying not to throw up. It should also be mentioned that Tohru had already reverted back to the sweet, innocent _yamato nadeshiko _from the fierce fighting woman. "I'm going to be sick."

"Then don't look at it Tohru," Karen replied. "But you did well. To be honest, I really didn't expect you to fight that well. You looked fearless."

"Actually, I was really scared," Tohru replied. Karen had a confused look on her face, as she didn't expect Tohru to be saying something like that.

"But you fought so well," Karen said. "You didn't look scared one bit."

"I guess I didn't show it," Tohru replied. "I didn't want to show it, or people would think I'm weak."

"Well, I was scared," Karen replied. "And you certainly saw that on my face, but I wasn't weak, was I?"

"No," Tohru replied. "You're right. I guess it's okay if I showed a little fear."

"Just don't show too much," Karen replied. "Or your enemies might take advantage of that."

"Sorry," Tohru replied.

"Don't be sorry," Karen said. "You just need to work on that."

"Well now we need to be worrying about Jimmy and Kyo," Ping said. "They've been inside that mansion for quite a while now."

"You're right," Karen said. "They should have brought Jakotsu out by now, I wonder what's taking so long?"

"They might be having trouble," Ping said. "Or maybe they're—"

"Kyo can't be dead!" Tohru shouted. "He's too good to die!"

"And I don't reckon Jimmy's one to give up easily," Karen added. "Even though I don't know him much, he doesn't look like the one to die or give up easily."

"I reckon you're right," Ping said. "But we should go inside and find them, anyhow."

"No," Karen said firmly. "The sheriff said he'd get here close to sundown."

"But it's close to sundown right now!" Ping said. "He'll get here soon!"

"Then we shouldn't rush Jimmy and Kyo!" Karen shouted back. It was then that she looked over at Tohru and saw her getting nervous; REALLY nervous.

"Honda-san, what's wrong?" Ping asked.

"It's Kyo," Tohru replied. "I hope he's not getting angry."

"Why, what do you mean?" Karen asked.

"When Kyo gets really angry he doesn't think much," Tohru replied. "His enemies tend to make him angry in order to take advantage of this, especially since his skill declines when he's really mad." Karen and Ping's eyes widened in horror. If Kyo got angry enough, Jakotsu could take advantage of his anger! "I have to find him!" Tohru said as she ran inside the mansion. Karen however, tried to stop her.

"Tohru, wait!" She shouted as she followed Tohru into the mansion. But when she got in, she noticed that she could not find Tohru, forcing her back outside. She could only hope Tohru was okay; and Jimmy.

--

In his fight, Jimmy was back on the defensive. Subaru was getting irritated and had gone back to his speed technique, leaving Jimmy to stand there, twisting his head around to find Subaru. Jimmy tried desperately to find the kid, but no matter what, he couldn't find him. And now, he felt the kid kick him in the back, sending him to the floor. Jimmy groaned as he fell to the _tatami _floor, and he lost grip on his rifle.

Jimmy tried desperately to grab his gun, but he found Subaru's legs in front of him, blocking his attempt to get the gun. "I thought this would be easy," the kid said. He then kicked the gunslinger in. Jimmy held his nose and glared at Subaru, whose smile was beginning to fade ever-so-slightly. "You've made me _very _irritated," Subaru said. "You're weak. And the weak die, while the strong survive!"

"Shut up!" Jimmy replied by not only saying that, but pulling his Colt out and firing a shot at Subaru, who dodged the shot again, going back into speed mode. It was then that Jimmy knew he had to fire his musket. He scrambled over to the rifle and grabbed it, first removing the bayonet. He still could not see the kid, but erratic footprints were appearing all over. When he knew the kid could not see him, he cocked the rifle's hammer and placed the percussion cap on, and prepared to fire.

When the time was right, Jimmy put the gun up and looked for the kid's footfalls. He could see dust being blown up, showing where the kid was. Again, his movements were erratic. Suddenly, the dust began to move in Jimmy's direction, which he did not fail to notice. It was then Jimmy closed his left eye and peered down the sights, aiming his rifle. When the kid was going to appear in front of him, he did not know. Jimmy was sweating, and he wiped his brow off. His hat had come off, so now the woman in the room could see his sweaty, messy hair. It wasn't as if he cared, though.

The footprints continued to get closer to Jimmy. He kept on aiming, hoping for a good shot. Then, for some reason, time slowed down. Maybe it was his concentration, maybe it was something else. But now he could see the kid getting closer. Jimmy smirked, noting that he now had him in his sights—until the kid leapt in front of him, preparing to bring his sword down. Jimmy had little time to react, but he raised the rifle up anyhow without removing his view from the sights. The kid seemed to slow down in mid-air, and he seemed to say something, but Jimmy could not tell. He was in deep concentration.

It was now or never. Jimmy had to shoot or the kid could kill him. When he finally lined up his shot, he stuck his tongue out and pulled the trigger…

--

Kyo, meanwhile, was getting angry, like Tohru warned. He was on a major offensive, but if he got angrier, it would get compromised. Let this be known: Kyo is human, and this level of anger can be too much for anyone. But for Jakotsu, it was playing into his hands. The angrier Kyo got, the more irrational he became. And although that's like another familiar character, he did not get stronger; as Tohru already mentioned, he got worse. So Tohru was racing against time now.

Kyo again took a might swing like a power hitter at Jakotsu, but the man easily dodged it. And that was also making Kyo angry. The frustration of not getting any good attacks on Jakotsu was starting to get to him by now, as well as Jakotsu's taunts. Already Jakotsu had gone over calling kyo bad, Kazuma bad, his father, Tohru, and the assertion that his mother was a w---e. As you can guess, it was really getting to Kyo.

And now Kyo was reduced to yelling and had a face that would just be impossible to describe the anger on it. And not only that, his already red eyes were beginning to glow red. There was a break in the action, and now Kyo was breathing heavily, almost an inhuman sound. Of course, this was working to Jakotsu's benefit. If his fiancé was inside the mansion by now, it would be possible that she could find Kyo and see the beast he had become.

"Come on, Kyo!" He said. "Come and get me!" Kyo bellowed and charged at Jakotsu, who easily dodged the attack. Jakotsu smiled. His plan was working. Kyo was no becoming an irrational beast, controlled by his temper. He suspected Kyo had meditated before he came, which made things all the juicier now that Kyo was becoming enraged. Only a little more pushing and Kyo would be right where he wanted him. "Oh, Kyo," he said in a sing-song voice. "I believe that by now Tohru might be dead." Kyo's face contorted in anger once again. It was only a simple taunt and lie, but it was enough to enrage Kyo. Now Jakotsu had him where he wanted him. It was only a matter of time before Kyo would die.

--

_To be continued_


	7. Finishing the Job

Tohru panted heavily as she ran down the halls. She desperately hoped she wasn't too late to stop Kyo's rage, or else he could lose his fight not only with Jakotsu, but the fight for his life. She wasn't sure exactly which way Kyo had gone, so she took a random route and went from there. All around her were the bodies of men who did not escape whoever had taken them out. She was still carrying her _naginata_, although it was mainly just in case she encountered any enemies. Although from the looks of it, she didn't have to. Most of the men were out cold or dead, so she didn't have to use the _naginata_.

The hallway was long, and she was getting tired from running down it; she had already been tired from fighting the blob man, so she was already tired. But she was driven to keep going by her concern and love for Kyo. There was no way she was going to stop now; his life depended on her presence. Only that could calm him down. The only problem was, she didn't know where he was. The only way she could get to him was to find which room he was in.

Finally, she came to the end of the hall she had taken, seeing a door there. _That must be where Kyo is!_ She thought. _Finally!_ Her face brightened, as she knew this was the room he was in. There was no other way. She reached for the door and opened it, and when she did, her face went from bright and cheerful to confused and disappointed, because she was just in time to see…

…Jimmy raised his Springfield rifle musket as the kid Subaru came down on him. Jimmy had literally only one shot, as there was one bullet inside the gun. He kept his aim steady, aimed at the kid. This was the best time to shoot, since the kid could not change directions in mid-leap; no one could do that. Jimmy smirked only slightly; he had lined up his shot. He stuck his tongue out and pulled the trigger.

_BANG!!!_ A cloud of gun smoke erupted from the muzzle like an erupting volcano. The bullet flew out, propelled through the air at 950 feet per second [1]. At the same time, Jimmy felt the force of the recoil, forcing him back a little, but he kept his footing solid. The woman, Hikaru, watched as the bullet cut through the air, as did Tohru. In mid-jump, Subaru's face changed to one of terror as the bullet came at him. He could not slow down or dodge the bullet now, as he was in the air. He could only watch as the bullet…

…Missed. Or did it? Although it missed him, Subaru suddenly belt a force pull him back, coming from above him. He only got a partial glance, but he could see just what happened: The .58-caliber bullet had struck his sword, and because it was shot at close range—probably only 5 or less feet—it hit hard enough to stop him.

Jimmy meanwhile, watched as the bullet struck the sword, exactly as he had hoped. He watched in excitement as Subaru felt the effects of the bullet, and then he saw what he had hoped to see: The blade was cracking, and although the Japanese sword was noted for its strength, this one just so happened to crack. Jimmy Then watched again as the blade, despite all indications that it should not, shattered. At the same time, the sword was knocked out of Subaru's hands and the kid fell to the ground. The remnants of the blade landed elsewhere, and the handle landed right next to him.

Subaru grunted as he landed on the ground. He groaned in pain, because he had landed on his back. It wasn't major pain, but it was enough to make him groan. At the same time, the rest of the room snapped back into real time after everything had slowed down. Jimmy was still pointing his rifle in the air, and Tohru and Hikaru were still watching in amazement. "That's incredible!" Tohru said to herself.

"Wha-how did that happen?" Hikaru asked out loud. "There's no way a sword like that can shatter!"

"NO!" Subaru shouted as he slammed his fists into the floor. His mask had cracked, and he was no longer smiling. At the same time, Jimmy remembered where he was and he put the rifle down, drew his Colt six-shooter and walked over to Subaru. The kid looked up in time to stare down the barrel of Jimmy's Colt pistol, much like what happened when Kyo first met Jimmy—except Kyo didn't have his sword broken. Now Subaru was on the losing end. He was weak; there was only one thing to say now. "Kill me," he said.

But what happened next stunned the hell out of him; Jimmy un-cocked his pistol and put it back in his holster. Subaru was absolutely stunned at Jimmy's show of mercy. "No," he said. "I'm not going to. You're too young, you have your whole life ahead of you. There' no way I'm killing you."

"But why?" Subaru asked. "Why are you being so merciful? I'm weak, you should kill me! The weak should die!"

"You see this badge?" Jimmy asked as he pointed to the badge. "I'm a lawman! It's my job to protect the weak! Besides, I once heard from someone, I'm not sure who he is, but he said this: 'mercy is the mark of a great man'. I reckon I'm just a great man."

"But-but-but, I don't GET IIIIIIIIITTTT!!!!" Jimmy recoiled slightly, shocked at Subaru's sudden outburst. He wasn't sure what he had done, but his act of mercy had made the kid go insane or something like that. "But the strong live! And the weak die!" He shouted. "I'm weak! YOU SHOULD KILL ME!!! THERE'S NO POINT IN LIVING IF I'M WEAK!!! I DON'T GET IT!!!" At that point, Jimmy took his right hand and with a particularly nasty backhand, slapped Subaru right in the face.

"SHUT YOUR BIG BAZOO!!!" He shouted. The room fell slient, with Tohru and Hikaru watching in amazement. "Like I said, you're young. I wanted to kill you but I reckon my own past has prevented me from doing so. I've killed men before, and I reckon with that fake smile of yours, you've killed as well. But unlike you, I've regretted doing it each time. It's like a piece of me is leaving every time I do it. So this time I would be merciful and do my duty as a lawman and let you go. And besides, I read Darwin's book, I don't reckon that's what he was talking about."

"But, Mr. Jakotsu said only the strong survive!" Subaru said.

"Haven't you heard the phrase 'and the meek shall inherit the Earth'?" Jimmy asked. Subaru shook his head, 'no'. "Oh, well. By the way, what happened to you? And where did that perpetual smile come from?"

"I can't tell," Subaru said. The kid had begun to calm down now, and apparently, Jimmy's words had struck a cord with him. "_Mikurusu-san_, what were you before you became a lawman?"

"A shopkeeper," Jimmy replied. "But I reckon that's not what you meant. For 3 years, I was a drifter after leaving school in Florida. I made my money as a cowboy in Texas. Why do you ask?" It was then that Subaru stood up in front of Jimmy. Now he had his smile on again, but it wasn't as empty as it used to be.

"Then I reckon I'll become a drifter to," he said. "I might as well make peace with my own past. Have you?"

"Made peace with my own past?" Jimmy asked. He though about it for a second and said, "I reckon I have, now that I've become Deputy."

"Then I reckon I'll try to make peace with myself as well," Subaru said. With that, he walked past Jimmy towards the door. Then he stopped just as he was about to leave and turned around and said, "Oh, by the way, Jakotsu and Sohma-san are in that room, if you want to know." He pointed at the door Hikaru was guarding and then left.

Jimmy's face shifted instantly to an almost comical look. "HE MEANS TO TELL ME THAT JAKOTSU WAS RIGHT NEXT TO THIS ROOM!!! GAAAAAAHHHHH!!!!" But then he stopped his little tirade when he noticed that the Hikaru woman was looking at him strangely. "Sorry," he said sheepishly. "Just frustrated."

"_Mikurusu-san!_" Jimmy's attention was caught by a sudden voice to the right of him. He looked to notice Tohru standing in the doorway. She had a minor smile on her face, which told him she saw everything.

"Well now," he said. "This is an interesting development." At that point, he grabbed his hat up from off the floor and put it back on. "Your Kyo's in that room," he said as he pointed to the door where Hikaru stood. Tohru's face instantly brightened up in her trademark smile. She was ready to go, but Jimmy still had one more thing to take care of. "I reckon I'll take a couple extra Springfield cartridges," he said as he went back in the weapons closet. He came back out, holding a pair of packages, which no doubt held the bullet and gunpowder for the Springfield in each of them. He also went and picked up the spent bullet, which was in a distorted shape after striking the sword. He put the bullet and the cartridges in his pocket. Now he was ready to go. "Let's go," he said as he gestured with his head.

Tohru nodded as well and the two walked over to Hikaru, who was still standing in the way. Tohru, who would not be stopped, walked up to Hikaru and said, "Let us in; now." The forcefulness of Tohru's voice, as well as the circumstances forced Hikaru to step aside. Tohru then lead Jimmy, who strapped the rifle onto his shoulder, into the next room.

At first Tohru was excited to finally see Kyo. When Jimmy opened the door, she rushed in with her bright cheerful smile, but when she saw what was going on, her face instantly shifted from one of joy to shock. Jimmy, meanwhile, followed her. "Tohru, what's—oh. Jesus Christ!"

By now Kyo was in full-blown berserker mode. Jakotsu's taunting had pushed his buttons long enough that he had lost control of his anger, which played to Jakotsu's advantage. Kyo was just running around trying to swing his sword at Jakotsu. His eyes were full of rage, enough that they scared the bejesus out of the guys in the room. Now Jimmy was not afraid of much, but even he was afraid of Kyo by now.

Tohru, meanwhile, fell into despair. "No…" she said softly. "This can't be happening! We came here to escape all this! KYO!!! PLEASE, STOP!!!" But her pleas fell on deaf ears. Kyo was so enraged that no attempt by Tohru to get his attention would work.

Jakotsu was just toying with Kyo now. He would rush blindly at Jakotsu, but the crime boss would simply step out of the way, and Kyo would miss and do the same thing. On occasion, Jakotsu would knock him down and Kyo would get back up, even more enraged. "Pathetic!" Jakotsu said. "You can't even control your own anger! Some samurai you are!" Kyo responded by taking a big cut at Jakotsu, but he easily dodged it.

"I gotta do something!" Jimmy said finally. He rushed over to Kyo and grabbed his left arm, grabbing his attention; kind of. "Sohma, get a hold of yourself, now! Cal—" It was then that Kyo whacked Jimmy with a back-handed punch, sending the American sprawling on the floor. "Damn!" He said.

"Kyo, please stop!" Tohru shouted. But again, her pleas fell on deaf ears. At the same time, Jimmy had to scramble out of the way of the two combatants, since they would have trampled him had he stayed in the same position, and he went back over to Tohru.

"This is not working!" Jimmy shouted. "Sohma, get a hold of yourself, now!" It was then that one of Jakotsu's goons who was still in the room tried to attack Jimmy. However, he noticed this and punched the guy right in the kisser. Tohru was also jumped, but she handled her opponents just as easily. Now Jimmy could see how well she could fight. "Damn, Karen was right," he said to himself as he punched another goon. The two continued until all of the goons were lying on the ground. Now all that was left was Kyo and Jakotsu and those two weren't stopping one bit.

Tohru had to do something. The only thing she could think of was to try and get Kyo's attention herself. In a sudden move, she also ran over to Kyo. "Ms. Honda, wait!" Jimmy shouted. "It's too dangerous!"

"Kyo!" She cried as she ran over to him. Jimmy's pleas also fell on deaf ears as she grabbed Kyo's sleeve. "Kyo, please stop!" She said with tears beginning to well up in her eyes. "Please, stop!" But just like Jimmy, Tohru received a nasty backhanded punch from Kyo; although this looks bad, remember that Kyo's pretty much just a rampaging beast right now. If he was calm, there would be no way in hell he'd ever hurt her. Tohru landed on the ground behind him, and she began to cry. "Kyo," she said. Her despair was reaching critical mass, and now she was in the way of the two fighters. If they got any closer, she could get hurt, but she was in too much despair to get out of the way now.

But suddenly, she felt some one cover her body and tackle her out of the way. She looked to see that Jimmy had done tackled her out of the way of the two combatants. And now Jimmy had a determined look on his face instead of the despaired look she had. "_Mikurusu-san?_" She wasn't falling in love with him, she was just surprised he had saved her.

"Stay out of the way," he said as he got up. "I've had enough of this!" He reached into his holster and drew his six-shooter and pointed it at the ceiling before pulling the trigger and firing. The gun made a loud noise, but it only barely got Kyo's attention as he continued to fight Jakotsu. "Dammit!" Jimmy shouted. He watched Kyo take a big cut at Jakotsu and saw Jakotsu take an equally big swing, which Kyo dodged. Kyo then charged at Jakotsu again and was knocked to the ground by Jakotsu. Jimmy could see Jakotsu laugh and figured he _really _had enough of it. Kyo got up again and charged Jakotsu. Their blades locked, with both of the getting in each others face.

_Dammit, I've gotta get their attention somehow!_ Jimmy thought. _If only I could—wait, that's it!_ He remembered the times he shot the swords and maybe this time it would get Kyo's attention. He took the Colt pistol and aimed it at the two, who still had their swords locked. He had a good shot, but Tohru grabbed his arm.

"_Iie [2]!_" She shouted. She began blubbering again, shaking Jimmy's arm. He ripped his arm free, and aimed the weapon again. The two combatants were still blade locked, not moving an inch. His plan could still work, he just had to concentrate. "No, do not!" Suddenly Jimmy stopped, and looked at Tohru. Her face was silently pleading, and he suddenly realized what she was talking about; she thought he was going to shoot Kyo.

"I'm not gonna shoot 'im!" Jimmy said.

"Please, do not!" Tohru said again. It was then that Jimmy realized that she still didn't know English well and she probably didn't know what he said.

"Ms. Honda, listen to me," he said calmly. "I'm… not… gonna… shoot… him." He said slowly. It did indeed get Tohru's attention, as she seemed to understand what he was saying. "Now… let… go." Tohru did so, and Jimmy aimed his gun at the swords again. The two were still blade-locked, which gave Jimmy the opening he needed. He pulled the trigger of his Colt and fired. The bullet cut through the air and struck Kyo's sword right in the middle of the blade, causing a loud 'PING' sound.

Well, Jimmy's plan worked and Kyo and Jakotsu looked over at Jimmy. Kyo still had his scary face on and Jakotsu was not pleased with what transpired. "Sohma, get a hold of yourself!" Jimmy said. "You're making your fiancé cry!"

"Kyo?" Tohru asked nervously. When he saw the look of sadness, despair and fear on Tohru's face, Kyo's face softened when he saw his fiancé.

"Tohru?" He asked. "You're alive?

Tohru looked at him confused and then smiled. "Of course I am," she said. "Who told you I was dead?" Kyo was at first confused and then he looked at Jakotsu. Now it was Jakotsu who was terrified. Instead of the raging beast he had been before, Kyo's face showed anger, but this time it was a calm anger. Jakotsu backed off, scared at Kyo's face. At that point, Kyoi walked over to his fiancé while Jimmy watched.

"Tohru," he said softly. He touched her cheek gently, just to be sure she wasn't an illusion and that she really was there. Tohru responded by touching her hand and smiling at him. Her eyes were filled with tears, but this time they were filled with tears of joy; her Kyo was back to his normal self. Then, Kyoi threw his arms around Tohru, and she threw her arms around his neck and the two embraced like long-lost lovers. "Oh Tohru! Thank you for saving me."

"I'm glad," she replied, her tears now free-flowing. Again, they were tears of joy. She was so happy that Kyo had stopped his berserker rage.

"Tohru," he said. "Did I hurt you?" Tohru looked confused and she pulled back for a moment to look at Kyo's face. It looked nervous and worried, as if he feared he had done something terrible to her. Tohru of course, knew what he was talking about; he meant the time when he knocked her down in his berserker rage. Tohru looked a little unsire, but then she said,

"Yes." Kyo was at first horrified at himself that he could do something like that, but that changed when Tohru smiled again—and you know he's a sucker for that smile—and said, "But I know you didn't mean to do it since you didn't really have control of yourself. So I forgive you." Kyo smiled lightly; he was glad that his fiancé could forgive him.

"I won't do it again though," Kyo said. Tohru smiled again and the two hugged each other again.

Jimmy watched this tender moment with a smile on his face as well. He was glad to see the two lovers reconcile—well, sort of—and he let them have their moment. But for him, it ended when he looked to his left and made a face of both anger and determination. The reason he made that face was because A: Jakotsu was still there and B: he was about to attack Kyo. And from the looks of it, Jakotsu was pretty mad, and almost crazed. Well, Jimmy wouldn't let Jakotsu have his way, so in a lightning-quick move, he drew his gun from its holster and fired a shot at Jakotsu. The shot missed, but that wasn't the point. The point was to get Kyo and Tohru's attention and to tell Jakotsu that he wasn't going to pull any tricks. Well, it got Kyo and Tohru's attention, and Kyo made the same face Jimmy made. "I wouldn't get to cozy just yet," Jimmy said. "We still have to apprehend this feller."

"Jakotsu," Kyo said in a forceful voice. Jimmy wasn't fazed at all by it, but Jakotsu certainly was. His face was now one of fear. "I will not forgive you for this; for lying to me and turning me into a raging beast, as well as threatening to hurt Tohru." He held his sword up and said, "I am your opponent. And like I said before, you're under arrest."

"Very well then," Jakotsu said. Once again, he began to ham it up. "LET'S FINISH THIS NOW, KYO!!!" His hamming it up certainly didn't impress Jimmy.

"What was that?" Jimmy asked with his arms crossed. "Who does he think he is, Hamlet or something?" However, since he didn't understand what Jimmy said, Kyo simply advanced on Jakotsu.

"Let's go," he said in a steely voice as he approached Jakotsu.

Jakotsu, in turn, smiled in a sociopathic manner. "Bring it," he said. At that point, Kyo rushed at Jakotsu and swung his sword at him. Jakotsu blocked the attack, and their blades locked.

"You're not going to provoke me like you did last time," Kyo said. "We're fighting fairly. And I'll still beat you."

"You talk big, but can you back it up?" Jakotsu asked as he threw Kyo off. The two combatants then circled each other, like lions. Jakotsu had a crazed look on his face, while Kyo tried to imitate Sheriff Kane's steely-eyed look. Then, Jakotsu launched himself at Kyo and took a big cut at him. Kyo block and parried the attack. But Jakotsu then launched into a series of strikes, trying to overwhelm Kyo. But Kyo masterfully blocked each strike, even parrying a few before backing off. Jakotsu moved in to attack Kyo again, but the sound of a gunshot interrupted his advance. He looked to his right to see Jimmy cocking his pistol again to shoot Jakotsu. Jimmy again fired, but Jakotsu dodged the attack.

But now Kyo had an opportunity, and he quickly rushed in for an attack, putting Jakotsu on the defensive quickly. Kyo swung from his lower right going to the upper left. The strike was dodged by Jakotsu, and Kyo quickly tried a different approach. This time, he went with a backhanded strike with both hands on the sword, making seem like he was swinging a baseball bat. But using an amazing acrobatic move, Jakotsu was able to dodge the attack before he had to dodge another shot from Jimmy.

"Dammit!" Jimmy shouted. Now he was out of bullets and he had to reload. Jakotsu now had an open strike at him. Sure enough, Jakotsu advanced on Jimmy, but Kyo was quickly there to block Jakotsu, locking blades with him. Kyo looked behind and nodded to Jimmy, who nodded back. Jimmy now had the time to reload his weapon.

Jakotsu meanwhile, was running out of ideas. Kyo would no longer go berserk over his taunts and he had some assistance from a trigger-happy American; but there was one little thing about Kyo that he did know. And he had not used it yet.

But his little plan was put on hold when Kyo went in for the attack again. He expertly dodged, blocked and parried each of Kyo's attacks but he found trouble when Jimmy came in close, throwing a right, then left hook to try and get a hit on him. Jakotsu again dodged these punches, but then Kyo came in with his sword, swinging it aggressively. Then Jimmy came in, throwing a jab and then a hook to get Jakotsu. Now Jakotsu realized the two were working as a team; he was in big trouble.

Jimmy and Kyo continued their assault, Kyo using his sword and Jimmy his boxing skills. Jimmy went in for an uppercut with his left hand, while Kyo thrust his sword at Jakotsu. The two now had the crime boss on the ropes, and it would only be a matter of time—or so they hoped—before they had Jakotsu and were out of the mansion. Although he wasn;t sure if he could do it, Jimmy did try to kick Jakotsu. Of course, this didn't work out as he hoped—he wasn't good at it, but it did manage to back Jakotsu up a little, who now literally had his back against the wall.

"Well now," said Kyo. "Who's got the advantage now?"

"Give it up you sumbitch," Jimmy said as he cracked his knuckles. "You're beat."

"NO!!!" Jakotsu defiantly swung his sword at the two, causing them to fall back. Then Jakotsu went on the assault, first attacking Jimmy then Kyo. Jimmy got out of the way, but Kyo elected to instead fight using his sword. "Well Kyo, you fought well," Jakotsu said. "But not well enough!"

"Talk all you want," Kyo said. "_Mikurusu-san _and I almost had you there."

"_Almost_," Jakotsu replied. "It won't happen again." It was then that Jakotsu felt a powerful blow to his left cheek. He recoiled before noticing that Jimmy had done it. "You American bastard!" He shouted. "YOU RUINED MY BEAUTIFUL FACE!!! YOU'RE GOING TO PAY!!!"

"What?" Jimmy asked.

"He doesn't understand our language," Kyo said as he took a big cut at Jakotsu. Of course, Jakotsu felt silly. In the meantime, Kyo checked to see Tohru beating down a goon who had gotten up.

_That's my Tohru_, he thought to himself before attacking Jakotsu again.

Jakotsu felt he was running out of time. If he didn't bring up Kyo's mother soon, it would be too late to do so. "So Kyo," he said. "What did happen to your mother?" It seemed to work, as Kyo struck at Jakotsu.

"Shut up," he said. Then, he suddenly broke off, at which point Jimmy tried to punch Jakotsu several times. Jakotsu then realized that if he did try to taunt Kyo about his mother, then he'd have to do it while he was down. Of course, in order to implement this, he had to kick Jimmy down. The American clutched his stomach in pain while Kyo went back in and attacked Jakotsu. However Jimmy got back up to watch Jaktosu and Kyo duke it out.

Jakotsu was no fighting much more aggressively. His near-defeat had made him much more desperate and he had Kyo on the defensive. Then he kicked Kyo in the gut, just like he did with Jimmy. Kyo dropped his sword, which is expected of someone getting kicked in the stomach. "KYO!!!" Tohru shouted.

"Dammit!" Jimmy said. He too, was clutching his stomach, but he was beginning to recover from his injury, but he was still hurting a bit.

Jakotsu smiled in victory. Kyo lay on the ground clutching his gut, and a face full of pain. "Pathetic," he said. "You act like the greatest swordsman ever, and here you are lying on the ground. You're just a human."

"Isn't that a good thing?" Kyo asked.

"Point taken," Jakotsu said. He took the opportunity to kick Kyo again. Jimmy was not happy.

"You slimy snake!" He shouted. "You don't kick a man when he's on the ground!" But deep down, Jimmy knew Jakotsu would not listen. He needed to think of a way to help Kyo. That's when he remembered he still had the Springfield rifle strapped on his shoulder. He took it off and saw that it was not damaged. He noticed Jakotsu was delivering a monologue to Kyo. It was the perfect time to load the weapon. He immediately took a cartridge from his pocket and bit the top off the paper cartridge and poured the contents of the cartidge down the muzzle.

"You know, I heard something about you," Jakotsu said. "And it concerns your mother." Kyo glared at Jakotsu. His plan had worked, and he had struck a nerve. "I think I heard what happened to her. Didn't you kill her?" Kyo's face changed from one of anger to one of despair.

"No," he said. "No, I didn't!"

"Oh, but you did!" Jakotsu said. "You didn't do anything to save her. You are the one who killed her."

"NO!!!" Kyo shouted. "IT'S NOT TRUE!!!"

"OH, BUT IT IS!!!" Jakotsu shouted as he raised his sword about him. Kyo's face was a frightened one, and he watched as Jakotsu brought his sword down. But just then—

_BANG!!!_ Suddenly, Jakotsu was distracted by a shot to his left. He moved quickly enough to just barely avoid being hit by the bullet of Jimmy's rifle. "DAMMIT!!!" Jimmy shouted. Jakotsu glared at Jimmy and launched himself at him. Jimmy just barely blocked the sword with the rifle, even though he didn't have the bayonet. The rifle still did its job, and the rifle held.

Kyo, meanwhile, took the opportunity to get up and grabbed his sword. He then yelled loud enough for Jakotsu to hear him, and brought his sword down on Jakotsu. Jakotsu was able to recover and blocked Kyo's attack. But that was part of Kyo's plan. Now Jimmy was able to reload his rifle. Once again, while Kyo and Jakotsu were fighting, he bit and tore to top of the paper cartridge off and poured the contents down the muzzle. With the tip of the Minie ball still sticking out, he pressed down on it with his thumb before grabbing the ramrod and jamming the bullet down the barrel before putting it back in its place under the barrel. Then he took the percussion cap and placed it on the priming stick on the breach under the hammer, cocked the hammer and brought the rifle up to his shoulder and peered down the sights, ready to fire. But the problem was, he couldn't get a shot off. He literally had one shot, and the right one would mostly likely either break the sword again and/or knock the sword out of his hands.

Kyo could see that Jimmy was ready to fire, and he recognized that he had to get Jakotsu into position for Jimmy to get a good shot. Immediately he turned Jakotsu around to get him in position as a target. But the shot still didn't come, and Jimmy was still trying to aim the rifle. Of course, Kyo knew that Jimmy aiming for the sword, so—"OOF!" Once again, Jakotsu had struck Kyo in the gut, but this time, it was a knee. Kyo doubled over in pain and Jakotsu hit him in the back, sending him to the ground. With another chance, and an absolutely crazed look on his face, Jakotsu raised his sword above his head with his right arm only.

"DIE NOW, KYO SOHMA!!!" He shouted like the ham he was. But then, from his left, he heard the words:

"I got a shot!" _BANG!!! _Jimmy fired the rifle at the sword again, and this time the Minie Ball bullet hit the target. Jakotsu felt the force of the bullet strike the sword and the sword come out of his hands. Then, he saw something even worse: The sword had cracked in two right where the bullet hit. Jakotsu could only look on in a face that said 'oh crap' as the sword broke in two. The handle fell out of his hands and the rest of the blade fell a few feet away, landing in the _tatami _mats. Jakotsu himself fell to the ground as well.

"YES!!!" Jimmy shouted as he pumped his fist. "THAT'S WHAT I'M TALKING ABOUT!!!" Kyo and Tohru only looked on in amazement at how Jimmy destroyed Jakotsu's sword. But then Kyo saw Jakotsu and he immediately stood up, grabbed his sword and walked over to Jakotsu. As the crime boss got up, he pointed the tip of the sword in Jakotsu's face. Then, Jimmy walked over and pointed his Colt at Jakotsu.

"You're under arrest," Kyo said calmly. "Now surrender."

"Give up, you sumbitch," said Jimmy. "Like I said before, you're beat." Jakotsu at first glared at the two of them. If looks could kill, both would be dead on the spot. Then, his face softened and he raised his hands above his head.

On the sidelines, Tohru took a deep sigh and smiled. "It's over," she said. "It's finally over." As she said that, Jimmy took out a pair of handcuffs and placed them on Jakotsu. He stood him up, holding him by the collar.

"You're coming with us," he said as he started walking out. Just then, Kyo, either because of the pain from getting kicked and kneed in the stomach or simple exhaustion, collapsed on the ground.

"Kyo!" Tohru said as she rushed over to his side. "Are you okay?"

"I'm okay," he said. "I'm just tired… and hurting."

"Oh, Kyo," she said. It was then that Kyo felt his left arm move up and being grabbed—by Jimmy.

"I reckon I might as well help," Jimmy said. "You saved my hide before. I reckon I'm just returning the favor. Of course, that little thing with the sword might count." Although Kyo could not understand what he said verbally, he did understand what he said in his action. He smiled, and Jimmy did so as well. "Up we go," Jimmy said as he lifted Kyo up and helped him walk out. Tohru, meanwhile, took Jakotsu's sword and Jakotsu himself and she followed Jimmy help Kyo out.

--

Outside, Karen was talking with Sheriff Kane, who had arrived with a U.S. Marshal as well as the coroner—who was inspecting the body of the blob man she had killed. Sheriff Kane had told her she wasn't going to be arrested, since she and Ping said it was essentially in self-defense. The other people she, Ping and Tohru had dealt with were simply knocked out and had begun to recover by now. However, there were still men inside the mansion, and the U.S. Cavalry would most likely have to deal with them. Of course, they were on the way as well. But they were waiting for Jimmy, Kyo and Tohru.

"Where are they?" The U.S. Marshal asked. Karen pointed at the mansion, and the Marshal felt stupid. "I meant what's taking them so long?" He asked.

"I don't know," Karen said. "Jimmy and Kyo went inside about an hour ago and Tohru went in about 17 minutes ago. I'm not sure why they haven't come out."

"Well if they don't, we'll come in after them," Sheriff Kane said. "I don't know if they've apprehended this Jakotsu feller by now."

"But I think I heard gunshots in there," Karen said. "So I know Jimmy's alive."

"But that's not the point," Sheriff Kane said. "They need to some out soon or we'll come in after them."

"Damn," Karen said silently. She was worried about the three of them, Kyo and Tohru certainly, but for some reason, Jimmy was the one she was most worried about. Why, she did not know, but it was a feeling in her gut.

"Ms. McKenzie?" Ping asked. Karen was snapped out of her reverie.

"I'm sorry," she said. "I just lost myself. I'm worried about the three of them, Jimmy especially."

"What'd you say?" A voice called from behind them. Karen thought it was a Marshal

"I said I'm worried about Jimmy, Kyo and Tohru!" She shouted back. "Especially Jim—" She turned around and she cut herself off when she saw four figures in the doorway of the mansion. Jimmy was helping Kyo walked, and Tohru was leading some feller who was in shackles. But the one she was really concentrating on was Jimmy.

"I didn't know you felt that way about me!" He said in a jovial tone. Now it was mentioned earlier that when Jimmy usually smiled, it was genuine and the brightest smile one had ever seen. Well, that's what Jimmy was giving her right now: The brightest smile she had ever seen. Karen herself could not help herself but smile as well. At the same time, Jimmy began to laugh. It wasn't one that you do when you're laughing at something funny, but one that you laugh when you've met up with an old friend. And that's what was going on right now. Kyo and Tohru also began to laugh, as well. The reason why they were laughing was because they were just _so _relieved for it to finally be over. Kyo especially, now that Jakotsu was going to jail and the Jakotsu syndicate was vanquished. But Kyo's thoughts were intherrupted when Jimmy raised his arm, with the Winchester in it and shouted, "HUZZAH!!!"

The US Marshal and the coroner replied with a hearty "HUZZAH" as well.

Then the shouts of 'Huzzah' continued, this time with all of them joining in, except for Sheriff Kane. Karen especially could not help with the 'huzzah's. But when the cheering was done, Karen dropped her shotgun and ran up to the doorway of the mansion. Kyo had recovered enough to walk on his own, and he had taken Jakostu. When he saw Karen running to Jimmy, he gave the American a quick nod before Jimmy also ran over to her.

"JIMMY!!!" Karen shouted with absolute joy on her voice and face.

"HEY, KAREN!!!" Jimmy shouted back with equal joy on his. The two met in the middle and wrapped their arms around each other, giving each other a big bear hug. Although they weren't lovers—yet—the hug just felt so good, like a breath of fresh air after being under water for so long.

"Jimmy, you magnificent bastard!" She shouted. "I thought you were dead!"

"They can't kill me," He replied. "Only old age can."

"I can't believe I'm so glad to hear your arrogance," she said.

"I can't believe you missed me that much," he replied. Karen only blushed and smiled. But Jimmy didn't care. "I'm still glad to see you," he said.

"Me too," she replied. They stayed in their embrace for a few more minutes until—

"A-HEM." Sheriff Kane's sudden interjection interrupted their little moment. Sheriff Kane did not look happy, but Kyo and Tohru were looking at the two with smiles on their faces. Ping himself had a slight smile on his face. "Shall we go?" Sheriff Kane asked.

"Yes," Jimmy said.

"So what happened?" Karen asked as the rest of the group prepared to leave. There was even a stagecoach to take Jakotsu back to town.

"Well," Jimmy said, drawing the word out. "We ran into some trouble."

"Like what?" Karen asked.

"Well, first off, I had to fight a whole mess of fellers armed with swords," he said. "Then, I had to fight a samurai who somehow spoke English and he left after I knocked my sword out. Then, I had to fight some kid who had this smile on his face, but it was fake, because after I beat him by shooting his sword, he broke down talking about how the 'strong survive and the weak die'."

"What was his problem?" Karen asked.

"I don't know!" Jimmy said. "I didn't even get much of a chance to talk to him. He just left!"

"What a dumb move!" Karen said. "If this were a book, then the writer must be stupid! But what about Kyo and Tohru?"

"Ask Kyo," Jimmy said. "I don't know what all he had to deal with, but he looked mad as a hornet when I came across him."

"He did?" Karen asked with a worried look on her face.

"He got better," Jimmy said as he mounted his horse. "We ended up taking out Jakotsu by shooting his sword."

"You did?" Karen asked as she mounted her horse. "How did you do that?"

"I don't know," Jimmy replied. "I thought those swords were tough to break! I broke them with this here Springfield rifle." He pointed to the one on his back. He kicked the horse and the large animal walked forward back to the town of L'Amour.

"So what will Kyo tell me?" Karen asked.

"I don't know," Jimmy replied. "Why don't you ask him and Tohru?"

"I'll ask them back in town," Karen replied. "They're in that stagecoach."

"Oh," said Jimmy. "Oh well, then."

--

When the party finally reached L'Amour, it felt like getting home. Well, it was home, anyway. But you get the point. "Damn, I thought I'd never see this place again!" Karen exclaimed.

"We've only been gone for about 3 hours," Jimmy replied. "It hasn't been that long."

"Three hours?" Karen asked with surprise on her tone and face. "I didn't know it was that long."

"I reckon it was because we were fighting for so long," Jimmy said. The group reached the sheriff's office, and Jimmy and Karen dismounted while Sheriff Kane, the coroner, Ping, Kyo, Tohru and Jakotsu stepped out of the stagecoach.

"Mr. Ping can return to the railroad workers camp," said Sheriff Kane. "Mr. Michaels, Ms. McKenzie, Marshal Dillon, Mr. Sohma and Ms. Honda are to come with me inside the office." Jimmy and Karen looked at each other for a second and then Karen went over to Kyo and Tohru. Those two looked confused as well and they followed the sheriff into his office.

Once inside, Sheriff Kane led Jakotsu to his cell while Jimmy, Karen, Kyo and Tohru stood in front of his desk. He and the Marshal also seemed to be talking about other things, but Jimmy and Karen couldn't tell what they were talking about until Sheriff Kane and the Marshal came back over to the sheriff's desk. Then Sheriff Kane sat down while Jimmy and Karen stayed close. "I reckon you're wondering what is going on," Sheriff Kane said.

"You bet," Jimmy said. "What's going on?"

"Well I didn't tell you this, but the judge has ordered you and Sohma to serve jail time," he said. In that instant, Jimmy and Karen's jaws dropped and their faces were full of anger.

"WHAT!?" Jimmy shouted. "What for? I didn't do anything!"

"Well that little massacre at the Sohma farm might be why," Sheriff Kane said. "You only killed three, but it was enough for the judge to make a deal with me. You serve some jail time."

"With out a trial?" Jimmy asked. "What is this, the Reign of Terror?"

"Jail time for a week!" Sheriff Kane shouted. "And this is to _avoid _a trial! He knew I was going to deputize the both of you, so he went easy on you both."

"But jail?" Jimmy asked. "Why can't I just serve probation? Or isn't being a Deputy good enough?"

"First off, you would have to go to court for that," Sheriff Kane said. "Second, being a Deputy is not a punishment, it is a reward. But I will not revoke your status as deputies. Now you have to serve or else you will be sent to Prescott to face trial. And I am not in any mood to argue!"

Jimmy had to concede defeat. There was no way he could argue his case, and Sheriff Kane would not have any arguments. "Very well then," Jimmy said. "For a week?"

"For a week," Sheriff Kane said.

"I'll do it," Jimmy said with resignation in his voice. Karen just hung her head as Jimmy was led to a cell and locked in it. Then Sheriff Kane walked over to Kyo. Kyo of course, was confused until Karen had to explain the situation. But unlike Jimmy, Kyo laughed when he heard about his jail term.

"Really?" He asked. "I have to serve anyway? Oh, well."

"But Kyo!" Tohru shouted. "I don't want you to go!" She had not heard the whole details, so she was kind of confused.

"It's only for a week," Kyo said. "And I'll be fine; you won't have to worry about me." He gave his fiancé a kiss on her forehead and turned to Sheriff Kane, nodding his head. Sheriff Kane then led him to a cell in between Jimmy's cell on the right and Jakotsu's cell on the left. He and Jimmy had a glance at each other and began to laugh. It was a funny situation.

"Well at least I'll have company," Jimmy said. "Too bad I can't understand them."

"Now both of you will be able to visit them whenever you want," Sheriff Kane said to Karen and Tohru, which Karen translated to Tohru. Tohru nodded her head, as she understood what Sheriff Kane meant. Well now she walked over to Kyo's cell to say good bye for the night.

"I said I will be fine," Kyo said from behind the bars.

"But it will be lonely without you," Tohru said.

"You still have Karen-san," Kyo replied. "She can keep you company."

Tohru's face relaxed. He did have a point, Karen was still there. "I guess you're right," she said. "But I'll still come here every day."

"Thanks," he said. He leaned in and gave his fiancé a light kiss on the lips before she turned around and left and Karen walked over to Jimmy.

"Don't I get a kiss?" Jimmy asked.

"No," Karen replied. "But I will come here to see you."

"Well that's good," said Jimmy. "But I still want a kiss."

"It's not happening," Karen replied. Jimmy made a face of mock despair to get Karen to give in. Well, it worked and she relented. "Okay," she said. "But not on the lips."

Well, Jimmy wasn't happy, but a kiss was a kiss anyway, he thought. He turned his left cheek to her and she gave him a peck on the cheek. "Can't you do better than that?" Jimmy asked.

"That's all you're getting," Karen replied as she turned around and walked away. Jimmy was left simply to watch the gal walk out with Tohru.

"Well," he said. "She's one good gal. Don't you agree, Sohma?" Even though he wasn't expecting and answer, he still asked the question. Sure enough, Kyo did not answer, just giving him a slight look. Jimmy only laughed lightly and shook his head. At least he wouldn't be alone.

--

End chapter

--

[1]: HistoryNet; Weaponry: The Rifle-Musket and the Minie Ball.

[2] "No!"

And by the way, technically it's not impossible for a Minie Ball bullet to break a sword; the fuckers wreaked havoc in the American Civil War, causing a lot of pain for the men who were hit by them. In fact, the rifle-musket probably had a lethality index of 154.

And as for the ending, don't worry! There's still more to come!


	8. Conclusion

The Swordsman & The Gunslinger, chapter 8

--

Usually a jail sentence is a bad thing. This one was, but since it was only a week, it was more like an annoyance instead of some devastating punishment. Not only that, really Jimmy and Kyo should have gone to trial for this. Jimmy knew they had gotten off really easy. They should have been hanged for killing those people at the Sohma farm, but taking a week in the Sheriff's jail cells was much better than getting hanged, that's for sure. Especially when you're getting visited by a gal you got—oops, it should say, a friend of yours.

It was the fourth day of their jail sentence. Jimmy was shaving, since he had been growing some minor fuzz on his face. It wasn't enough to actually be considered a beard or a moustache, but it was noticeable. So, Jimmy felt like shaving, since he preferred the smooth feel of his face when he was clean shaven. Kyo, who was in the cell next to his, was also shaving, trying to get used to the straight razor he was using. Jimmy only laughed slightly, shook his head and went back to his own business. And no, Jimmy did not have his hat on, so his medium-length brown hair was fully exposed.

On the end of the three-cell block was Jakotsu, the man they had apprehended. For a supposedly vicious criminal, he sure seemed calm. Jimmy figured he must have been so used to crazed criminals like Billy the Kid to remember that not all of them were loco. But this Jakotsu feller, however, seemed to think he was an actor. He would always be melodramatic and make grand gestures like he was in some Shakespeare play. In today's lingo, that would be called 'being a ham'.

Kyo, of course, just played it calm. He just took to this one-week jail sentence calmly, and just accepted it—even though the first time he met Jimmy, he tried to kill him because he thought Jimmy would take him to jail. And here he was, serving jail time anyway. How ironic!

Kyo of course, did manage to get used to the straight razor and finished shaving without any problems. He did shave before this; he was just used to Japanese razors. He never had a full beard before, and he didn't want one now; to be clear, he didn't have a beard when he stormed the mansion out in the middle of the Arizona desert to fight Jakotsu. He had shaved before then.

Sheriff Kane, meanwhile, sat at his desk working on some papers. Most of them had to deal with local issues, like the town's upcoming Independence Day celebration. Of course, a lot of these issues were clearly the mayor's job; he just had to deal with issues like security. Even though it was mid-June, nothing was wrong with preparing early. Also, he did let Jimmy and Kyo out of their cells on occasion, but only to take care of business. Oh come on, you know what it is; you don't need it spelled out for you!

Anyway, Jimmy finished shaving, as well. He quickly wiped his face with the towel and put his over shirt back on before sitting down on the cot in his cell. He took out a book and began reading, engrossed in the words on the pages. He did not notice someone approach the cell, until he heard someone say something.

"What book is that?" Jimmy was startled by the voice, until he looked to see who it was. He made a face of only the slightest annoyance.

"It's called _Tom Sawyer_," he said. "It's written by Mark Twain."

"I reckon I've heard of that," Karen said, "I hear it's good."

"It is," Jimmy said. "Makes me wish I was a youngster again."

"What else have you been reading?" Karen asked.

"Oh, some French feller named Jules Verne," Jimmy replied. "This book he wrote called _20,000 Leagues Under the Sea _is good. They're in an underwater ship!"

"Underwater?" Karen asked. "That's ridiculous!"

"I don't think it's so ridiculous," Jimmy replied. "I heard the Confederates had some underwater craft back in the War. Of course, that was just a rumor. But I reckon there will be underwater ships some day."

"Okay, but that's not why I'm here," Karen said. "Sheriff Kane tells me you want to talk to Kyo, but since you can't understand each other, you needed my help."

"Exactly," Jimmy replied.

"Wow Jimmy," Karen said. "I can't believe you already want to talk to him. I mean, just one month ago, he was trying to kill you."

"Oh stop!" Jimmy said. "Just get his attention; I got some questions I want to ask him."

"Oh, okay! Kyo!" Karen shouted. Kyo looked over to her, interrupted from his calligraphy. "Jimmy wants to talk to you," she said in Japanese.

"How?" Kyo replied. "We can't understand each other."

"I'll translate," she replied.

"Well then," Kyo said. "Tell him he can ask whatever he wants." Karen told Jimmy Kyo's statement, and Jimmy nodded.

"So Sohma," Jimmy began. "What got you so mad when you were fightin' Jakotsu?" Karen relayed the question to Kyo.

"He was taunting me," Kyo replied. "And I have had some problems with my temper in the past."

"And it was so fun to do that," Jakotsu said.

"You know, you're not a part of this conversation," Kyo said.

"Just saying," Jakotsu said.

"So he has anger problems?" Jimmy asked. Karen nodded. "Well, that's new. He didn't talk about that before."

"Well Tohru told me about it, but since she can barely speak English, she couldn't tell you," Karen said.

"Well she did seem to know," Jimmy replied, thinking about the fight between Kyo and Jakotsu. "By the way, ask him why Tohru seemed to get so sad when she saw him in his berserker rage."

Karen asked Kyo Jimmy's question. Kyo seemed a little confused before seeming to realize what Jimmy was talking about. "Perhaps because she thought I couldn't be saved," Kyo said.

"Saved?" Jimmy asked. "What does he mean?"

"It means I would just be the raging beast I was during my battle," Kyo said. "It's because of her gentle nature that I fell in love with her in the first place. Sure, she can fight well, but that's not the point."

"He's not being very helpful," Jimmy said. "So what in tarnation made him so upset before I shot Jakotsu's sword?"

"I prefer not to talk about that," Kyo said. "It's not a pleasant memory."

"Oh, I see," said Jimmy. "So it's a sore spot for him. I understand. I wouldn't want to talk about that either."

"I was taunting him about his mother!" Jakotsu shouted from the last cell. "He's been blamed for it!" Kyo glared at Jakotsu, while Jimmy and Karen looked confused at him. When Karen told Jimmy what he had said, Jimmy seemed to understand.

"His ma?" Jimmy asked. "So I reckon he doesn't like talking about that."

"It wasn't my fault," Kyo said. "She was killed by supporters of the Shogun during the Meiji Revolution because of my father's and my master's involvement with the Imperial forces. The reason I've been blamed was because all I could do was just stand there and watch while they murdered her, so my father blamed me for her death. I was too young to do anything."

"I see," said Jimmy. "Then I reckon he and I have the same problem. My pa was killed back in Florida by members of the Ku Klux Klan there. They couldn't find any black men so they killed a Union veteran instead. I've hated the Ku Klux ever since."

"The Ku Klux Klan?" Kyo asked. "Who are they?"

"Confederate sympathizers who killed and tortured black people during the Reconstruction after the War Between the States," Jimmy said. "They would dress in outlandish costumes and go out and intimidate people because of their hatred of the pro-Washington governments. And of course, they killed my dad."

"So your country had its own rebellion?" Kyo asked. "When?"

"It ended just 15 years ago," Jimmy said. "Eleven states in the South seceded after Abe Lincoln became President. My pa was one of many who fought to keep the Union together; and as we found out, to end slavery in our country. I reckon I liked those causes and were worth fighting for."

"Your country fascinates me even more now," Kyo said. "If only Tohru were here to hear this."

"Oh, she's here," Karen said as she pointed at Tohru. "She's just letting you and Jimmy have your conversation."

"Very well then," said Kyo. "Then I hope she did hear that. So his father fought in the war?"

"Correct," said Jimmy. "He fought in the fields of Gettysburg and was one of the men who stopped Pickett's Charge. He fought in the Irish Brigade."

"Irish?" Kyo asked. "What does he mean by that?"

"My family's Irish!" Jimmy replied. "My dad and his dad came here during the Great Famine in Ireland and settled in Chicago. My mom, on the other hand, is Irish and Indian."

"Indian?" Kyo asked. "He doesn't look like he's from India."

"That's not what I meant!" Jimmy replied. "I meant my ma had Cherokee blood in her."

"Cherokee?" Kyo asked. "What's that?"

"Forget it," Jimmy replied. "I want to know more about him. I reckon I've been talking enough until he asks more about me."

"So he wants to know more, eh?" Kyo asked. "Very well, then. My family was one of the more powerful Samurai families. I say 'was' because the samurai are no more. The Meiji government banned the warrior class after the Revolution."

"I see," said Jimmy. "I reckon I've heard of the samurai before you told me who they were. So is that why he came here?"

"Not entirely," Kyo replied. "I came here to seek a new life. I reckon I'm not the first, since his family came from Ireland."

"A new life, eh?" Jimmy asked. "So he settled here in Arizona."

"Correct," Kyo replied. "Of course, I didn't expect my past to catch up with me."

"How did he know abut this Jakotsu feller, anyhow?" Jimmy asked.

"He's given my family trouble," Kyo said. "Well, the first Jakotsu gave us trouble, anyhow. The one I thought I would have to face is dead."

"Dead!?" Jimmy asked. "Is that why we apprehended that prima donna?"

"Exactly," Kyo said between gritted teeth. "I reckon I should be happy that we've taken the entire syndicate out, now."

"He should be," said Jimmy. "Why else did he come here?"

"Because I was hated by the rest of my family," Kyo said. "The circumstances surrounding my mother's death and the fact that they hated my father must have been why. But even I hated my father."

"Why?" Jimmy asked.

"Like I said before, he blamed me for my mother's death," Kyo replied. "That's also another reason I came here."

"Because his pa hated him?" Jimmy asked. "Damn, Japan is much more complex than I knew."

"It's not a Japanese thing," Kyo replied. "He'd have left too if his father hated him."

"Well, I reckon that's true. But I never hated my pa," Jimmy said. "He loved me like any father should and he treated me well. He never called me 'boy' or anything like that; he called me by my name. He taught me how to shoot, how to fight with a bayonet and how to box. Does he think I was happy when he was killed? Of course not!"

"Then he had it better than I did," Kyo said. "But Tohru was the first one to love me unconditionally. If she said so, I would have stayed in Japan just for her. But she agreed to come to America with me. And it would take too long to explain just what she did for me."

"Damn," said Jimmy. "But I had no idea that Ms. Honda meant so much to him. I reckon he must have felt bad after hitting her."

"Of course I felt bad!" Kyo shouted. "I never meant to do that to her. If I could go back in time, I would stop myself from doing that."

"Good for him," Jimmy said. "I don't understand why some people say it's okay to hit women myself. It seems ridiculous that a man would hit a woman, what's the point? It doesn't make you any more gentlemanly."

"Exactly," said Kyo. "And because she means so much to me, the idea of me hitting her is just wrong."

"He's a good man," said Jimmy. "I reckon he's a better man than his dad."

"I appreciate that," said Kyo.

"So where did he live?" Jimmy asked.

"My family lived in Kyoto," Kyo said. "It's the older capital than the new one in Tokyo. Where is he from?"

"I was born in Chicago, Illinois," Jimmy replied. "However, a few years after the War, my pa moved us to Florida. Even though it was a Confederate state, my pa was involved in a campaign there and he fell in love with the place, so he moved us there. The fact that he was a captain by the end of the war was helpful, since he had the money to move us there and we lived on a citrus farm in the central part of the state. Unfortunately, some people suspected us to be carpetbaggers, even though we just wanted to live there. I reckon that might be part of the reason he was killed."

"I thought he said he wanted to hear my story," Kyo said.

"Oh, sorry," said Jimmy. "So he's supposed to be good with a sword?"

"I'm one of the best in the Sohma clan," Kyo said. "It helped that my teacher Kazuma was also one of the best swordsmen in the Revolution. It's said he held off 30 men in one battle. Of course, I don't know if that's true. He would just laugh and ignore that question. But he was also more of a father to me than my own father was. I asked him if he would come with Tohru and me to America, but he declined. I still respected his decision."

"Well, he sounds interesting," said Jimmy. "So now I want to know about that Jakotsu feller. Did he have any plans?"

"OF COURSE!" Jakotsu shouted. "We were going to overthrow the American government and USHER IN A NEW ERA WITH US AS THE ABSOLUTE RULERS!!!"

"He's starting to annoy me," Jimmy said. "And take did he just say 'take over'? What a coot!"

"A what!?" Jakotsu asked. "HOW DARE HE!!!"

"He thinks he can take over? HA!" Jimmy said. "He wouldn't reach Washington, the army would get to him before he even had a chance!"

"We'd get help from the Mexicans!" Jakotsu said.

"The Mexicans wouldn't help!" Jimmy replied. "The men in Washington would take care of them."

"Then the British! Or the French, or the Russians!" Jakotsu said.

"They wouldn't help either!" Jimmy said. "They're all more concerned with their colonies in Africa to help a crime syndicate! He wouldn't stand a chance."

"YOU LIE!!" Jakotsu shouted.

"No, he's telling the truth," Karen said. "You would not have stood a chance."

"Ambition is a good thing, but he's too ambitious," said Kyo. "The syndicate tried to stage a coup a few years after the revolution and they were put down. I reckon someone didn't learn."

"What a coot!" Jimmy said, laughing. "Now I don't know who's more plumb crazy; Jakotsu or Billy the Kid!"

"I'm not sure about Billy the Kid," said Kyo. "But Jakotsu seems more insane."

"So what else is there about him?" Jimmy asked. "Has he killed anyone?"

"Yes, in fact that is one other reason I came here," Kyo said. "It is sort of a self-imposed exile for killing men."

"Well, I've killed men too," Jimmy said. "But I've always regretted it. Of course, I reckon I'm paying for it right now!"

"I suppose so," said Kyo. "I reckon I'm doing the same thing now."

"I reckon so," said Jimmy. "Does he want to know more about me or should I hear more of his biography?"

"I'll continue," said Kyo. "We chose this country because we weren't interested in China. They were too far behind us."

"That's ironic," said Jimmy. "He wouldn't go to a country that's far behind his and he comes to a country that despite being younger than his has a head start on them!"

"It is irony," said Kyo.

"That and, he's automatically obsolete just because he's using a sword," said Jimmy. "Of course, he seems to have adapted well enough!"

"He shouldn't call me that," Kyo said. "I can still fight better than he can shoot a gun."

"Oh, he thinks he's better than me, huh?" Jimmy asked. "I'll show him!"

"Jimmy, just stop," said Karen.

"Oh, alright," Jimmy said. "I still don't understand what he means when he says Tohru saved him."

"It's hard to explain," Kyo said. "Very hard."

"Okay then," Jimmy said. "Does he want to know more about me or does he want to tell more of his story?"

"I'll continue," Kyo said. "With my family out of a job thanks to the Meiji's ban on swords, there really wasn't much for us to do than become public officials."

"That doesn't sound too bad," Jimmy said.

"That's not the point," Kyo said. "The bad things happen later."

"Like what?" Jimmy asked.

"Like I said, my mother was killed by supporters of the Shogun," Kyo said. "Because of this, I was blamed for her death. No matter what, no matter how I tried to explain, my father and the patriarch of the Sohma family would always blame me and I became the most hated member of the Sohma clan [1]. Not only was I blamed for her death, but I was notorious for my temper. And I killed the men who killed her. Ever since then, I have been racked with the guilt of doing that, and it's why I carry a reverse-blade sword. However, my uncle Kazuma, who was my _kendo _teacher treated me like his own son and in return, I felt as though he was my father."

"That's harsh," Jimmy said. "Like I said, Japan is complicated!"

"There's more," Kyo said. "Because the new Meiji government abolished the samurai class and adopted a Western style army 7 years ago, the samurai, and by extension the Sohma clan, were obsolete. We couldn't walk around with our swords and the military was now extended to men outside the samurai class. And yes, I recognize that this might not be the best thing to say, since the United States has an army made up of professional soldiers. But anyway, most of us, and I guess, I too, were content with this change."

"Get to the point!" Jimmy interrupted.

"He needed a history lesson to understand what I was saying," Kyo said in an unhappy tone. "Six years ago, I met Tohru. At the time, she was a newly made orphan whose mother had been killed by a stampeding horse. She was taken in by my cousin Shigure. At the time, I was a brash individual, almost like _Mikurusu_-_san_, so I didn't get along with her much at first. But eventually I warmed up to her."

"That's nice," Jimmy said. "What else?"

"If I may continue," Kyo said again, getting annoyed with Jimmy's interruptions. "Tohru is an interesting individual. She is a very understanding woman if painfully naïve. Of course, she can fight well, but that's a completely different story. She does not hate anyone and would rather make friends with them. She may seem perfect, but she's had problems. She was afraid of being abandoned because her father died when she was young.

After a while, I found myself drawn to her for some reason. I don't know why, but perhaps her gentle nature was what I needed. And I even developed a minor rivalry with my cousin Yuki for her affections. Of course, it may have only been my imagination.

Some time after the Satsuma rebellion [2], I was in love with the girl. But she remained oblivious to my feelings. It was possibly because my other cousin Kagura was also in love with me. But she really wasn't and I feared her [3]. At the same time, the members of the clan were drifting away from our patriarch. So, in a fit of madness, he tried to kill her. However, she survived but was inured when she fell off of her horse."

"Ouch," said Jimmy. "I think I'm getting interested."

"But I she wouldn't see me after the accident," Kyo said. "Before the accident, she had confessed that she loved me and like a fool, I rejected her."

"He is a fool!" Jimmy said.

"May I continue?" Kyo asked. "I could not see her in the infirmary because her friends would not let me. After she got out, I confronted her and told her that I loved her. It felt like the most incredible weight had been lifted off my shoulders.

He must consider, before this no one besides Kazuma had loved me, and now I had someone to love. That's why I was so guilty after striking her in my fight against Jakotsu."

"If she hadn't intervened I would HAVE KILLED YOU!!!" Jakotsu shouted.

"Shut your big bazoo!" Jimmy shouted back. "So why did he come here?"

"Well, the truth is, I had no intention of staying in Japan," Kyo said. "It was just reminded me of my past and I wanted to get away. Plus, I've killed before. So two years ago, I asked Tohru for her hand in marriage. As you can tell, she accepted. And at the same time, I told her I intended to leave for America. She accepted, as well. So we made our plans to leave and just months later, we boarded a ship for America.

We arrived in San Francisco and made our way to Arizona. And well, here we are."

"Nice story," Jimmy said with a hint of sarcasm. Really, he was looking bored right now. "Well, I reckon I might as well finish my story. After I got out of school, I decided to make my own living. I couldn't exactly afford to attend university, so I had little choice. I first made my way to New Orleans to find a job on a riverboat. They didn't want me. So, I went to Texas and became a cowboy instead. It didn't hurt that I had some money from my grandpa and my pa's wills. And no, it was not enough to pay for university.

Becoming a cowboy is what made me what I am today. Of course, it's also where I killed for the first time, and ever since then, I've felt guilty about it."

"Interesting," Kyo said, commenting on Jimmy's story.

"I was a cowboy for two years," Jimmy said. "And again, I killed there, too. My job was to drive cattle across the state, sometimes even into other states. Usually, I just worked for some land owner. But again, it's what made me who I am. I grew up and became a spirited young man and cemented my pride as an Irishman and an Indian. The reason why is because some of the other cowboys would mock me not only for being a 'white n******, but for being Indian. So in defiance I proudly proclaimed I was Irish and Indian. It got me fired on occasion.

Eventually, I found steady work, working for six months for a man named William Grant. He was a fair man, who hired youngsters like me and others who experienced what I did. After that, I began to calm down. Before then, I was a defiant individual, but during those six months, that changed."

"I am surprised," Kyo said. "He came across as a brash young man."

"I'm still defiant!" Jimmy said, showing some of that. "Anyway, after those six months, I left. I was pretty wealthy by then, but since I still couldn't get into university, I became a drifter. For about a year, I traveled around the state of Texas and soon into New Mexico. Along the way, I learned some Spanish—of course, I learned that as a cowboy, as well. Not only that, I would get into trouble on occasion. Not trouble with the law, but personal trouble."

"How?" Kyo asked.

"I would get into fights," Jimmy said. "I know, it was foolish of me. My worst was when I was in New Mexico some months ago. I came across a man by the name of William Bonney, also known as Billy the Kid.

What happened was, I ordered a beer in some saloon in Lincoln County, New Mexico. Apparently, I had cut in front of _Senor _Bonney and he took offense to my move. So he pulled his gun on me!"

"Then what happened?" Kyo asked.

"Well, sometimes you don't want to get into fights," Jimmy said. "But this man was loco and he was fixin' to beef me! So, I did what I had to do."

"What was that?" Kyo asked.

"I ducked out and ran!" Jimmy said. He watched as Kyo shook his head and stifled a laugh as Karen told him Jimmy's story. Jimmy made an annoyed face as he watched this.

"He seems like a coward," Kyo said. "He ran from a fight?"

When Karen told him, Jimmy was not happy. "Well, just because your people don't run from a fight doesn't mean I can't!" He said. "I wanted to live, and the only thing I could do was run. Of course, he ran into me again a few days later, and he was looking for me. This time, I didn't run when he started shooting at me. Well, I did run, but only to find cover and I began firing back. And well, I managed to survive."

"So how do things gun fights occur in the middle of the day here?" Kyo asked. It was now that the strangeness of the West was starting to get to him. "What about the law?"

"The West is a lawless place," Jimmy said. "You constantly have to be looking over your shoulder because someone might come up and beef you. Anyway, back to my story. Recently, I decided to come here to Arizona. So, I hopped on a Wells Fargo wagon, and well, here I am!"

"I still don't understand how you got into a gun fight with Billy the Kid," Karen said. "Why didn't you try to back out of it?"

"I didn't because he was shooting at me!" Jimmy said in return. "I'm a shootist [4]! I have to shoot back, and I did!"

"That's not the point!" Karen replied. "You could have just stayed away from him!"

"I could not!" Jimmy said. "What part of 'he just started shooting at me' don't you understand?"

"Okay!" Karen said, somewhat annoyed. Kyo could be seen shaking his head and putting his face in his hand. Sheriff Kane in the background could be seen struggling to stifle his laughter.

"Okay you two," he said. "That's enough of your lover's quarrel."

"_We're not lovers!_" Jimmy and Karen shouted in response at the same time. But really, they were clearly blushing. Sheriff Kane laughed again, and went back to his paperwork. It was then that the door to the office opened, and a woman about Sheriff Kane's age stepped in, carrying a tray of food with three glasses.

"Hello," she said. Her hair was in a pioneer's bun and she wore a skirt. She took the tray over to Sheriff Kane and gave him a plate and a glass. "Here you go, Jonathan," she said.

"Thank you, dear," Sheriff Kane replied. "Oh, boys, I forgot, I'd like you to meet my wife Catherine."

"Howdy," Jimmy said.

"_Konichiwa_," Kyo said, after Karen told him who she was.

"Hello boys," she said as she took the tray over to Jimmy. She took one plate off and handed it to Jimmy.

"Thank you," Jimmy said. She handed the plate and glass to Kyo, who in turn, looked confused. Not at the food, he had seen fried chicken before. He was confused at the drink.

"What is this?" Kyo asked.

"Iced tea!" Jimmy said. Karen had told him what Kyo had said. "Have you ever had it?"

"I prefer my tea to be hot," Kyo said. Jimmy shrugged as he took a sip. He seemed confused about the taste of the drink at first.

"This tea tastes sweet," Jimmy said. "What is this?"

"This is called 'sweet tea," Mrs. Kane said. "I read about it in a cookbook."

"I don't know where she heard about this," Jimmy said. "But I like it!"

"It's not bad," Kyo said. "Although I still prefer hot tea."

"What did he say?" Mrs. Kane asked.

"He said he loves it," Karen said. For some reason, Jimmy was stifling a laugh, as if he knew that Karen was lying. Kyo, meanwhile, despite not understanding English knew Karen was lying and gave her a dirty look.

"Did you have to lie?" He asked in Japanese.

"Was I going to tell the nice lady that you didn't like the tea?" Karen asked in a mock upset tone.

"Well, I'm glad he likes it," Mrs. Kane said. "I must leave now though; so long, everyone."

"So long," Jimmy said through a mouthful of chicken. "She makes the food over at the saloon, doesn't she?" He asked Sheriff Kane.

"She does," Sheriff Kane replied. "How can you tell?"

"I recognize the taste," Jimmy said. "When she comes back, tell her I like the food."

"I shall," Sheriff Kane said.

"That reminds me," Karen said. "I have to get back to the general store. I reckon there are some unhappy customers waiting for me."

"You're leaving?" Jimmy asked.

"I just said why," Karen replied. "Now please, let me leave. And I'll have to take Tohru with me."

"That's obvious," Jimmy said. "But can I ask you something?"

"What is it?" She asked, thinking he was going to ask something serious.

"Do you really think I'm a bad singer?" Sheriff Kane stifled a laugh while Karen rolled her eyes.

"Are you done?" Karen asked.

"No," Jimmy said. "I just want you to come over to the bars for a moment." Karen walked up to the cell bars. "Closer," he said again. She got closer to the bars. "Closer," he said again. She was now right up against the bars. That's when Jimmy walked up to her, grabbed her face and—

He kissed her square on the lips.

Karen's eyes were wide as dinner plates. In fact, that may even be an understatement, considering how shocked she was right now. At the same time, Sheriff Kane was watching with one eyebrow raised and his wife—who had not left just yet—was trying to hide her smile. Jakotsu could be seen in the back shaking his head while Kyo watched with interest. And Tohru, well, she was just as surprised as Karen.

As for Karen, she had actually been so surprised that she did not notice herself settling into the kiss. That is, until she realized what was going on. That's when Jimmy cut the kiss off and moved back. The look on Karen's face was still one of surprise. Not really knowing what she was doing, she reached out to Jimmy and touched his cheek.

_SMACK!!!_

And then she quickly slapped him; _hard_.

"I don't think I deserved that," Jimmy said. He had spun around at the force of her slap [5].

"Yes you did!" Karen shouted back. Jimmy recoiled as he held his still-stinging left cheek. "Don't kiss me unless you have my permission!" With that, she turned around, grabbed Tohru by the wrist and stormed out the door.

"Boy, you need to learn how to act right in front of a lady," Sheriff Kane said.

"Sorry," Jimmy said, still stroking his cheek. He looked in the mirror and examined his still red cheek. "I reckon it's a good thing I shaved today," he said.

"That wasn't polite," Catherine Kane said. "Like she said, you should ask a lady if you can kiss her before you do that."

"Looking back, I probably should have," he said. "But then again, there is something that none of y'all noticed."

"What was that?" Sheriff Kane asked.

"She kissed back."

Outside, Karen was still leading Tohru by the wrist to the general store. Her face still showed some anger and she was silently cussing Jimmy for his antics earlier. "Karen-san, please stop!" Tohru said. "My arm hurts!" They got to the general store and finally Karen let go of Tohru. "You didn't have to pull so hard," Tohru said.

"I'm just angry!" Karen said. Her face certainly showed it. "That bastard kissed me! Without my permission! But…" Now her face was different, and she was blushing like a love-struck teenager. "It felt… good." She said this as she touched her hands to her lips. Then she realized what she was doing and stopped. "But I'm still mad at him!" She said as she turned around. Tohru did not say anything, but she could tell Karen was lying.

--

As the sun rose over L'Amour, the town came to life. People woke up to the day, as they had for a long time. But we're not focusing on them; we're focusing on the two men in the town jail.

The sun poked through the wrought iron bars of the jail. The three figures inside, sleeping on their cots, were bathed in the light of the sun. Of course, one person was facing in the direction of the jail window, and that was Jimmy Michaels.

With the sun shining in the sleeping gunfighter's face, he woke up instantly. Of course, with his eyes closed, it didn't seem that way. But instead of getting up, he turned his head to the sideways—as he had been sleeping on his stomach—and tried to keep sleeping.

Kyo was still sleeping in the cell next to him, although sleeping on his back and still. The sun was not shining in his face, but it was mainly since his mirror was blocking the sun. Jimmy's shifting did not affect him one bit. But like Jimmy, his sleep was not to last.

Then, the door of the Sheriff's office (and by extension the jail) opened loudly. Now this did awake Jimmy and Kyo. Jimmy looked up from his cot while Kyo sat up like Frankenstein's monster. "Rise and shine, you two," Sheriff Kane said as he hung up his hat. Jimmy let out a big yawn.

"Good mor'i'," he said in a groggy tone of voice. "Wa' i' it?"

"It's the end of your jail sentence boys," Sheriff Kane said as he walked over to Jimmy's cell. He inserted the key in the keyhole and unlocked Jimmy's jail cell. Jimmy was sitting up in his cot and letting out a big yawn, No doubt he was still sleepy. Then Sheriff Kane walked over to Kyo's cell and unlocked that one, too. Unlike Jimmy, Kyo was wide awake and alert.

"How does he wake up so dadgum easily like that?" Jimmy asked as he got out of bed. Tohru and Karen then walked into the jail following Sheriff Kane.

"Good morning," Karen said. Apparently she had willingly forgotten the kiss, because she was no longer mad at Jimmy.

"Morning," Jimmy said. He watched Kyo and Tohru embrace each other in the cell next to his. "Don't I get a greeting like that?"

"No," she said in response. Jimmy snapped his fingers in disappointment.

"So now what?" Jimmy asked.

"Well," Karen said. "Sheriff Kane has an offer for you two."

"An offer?" Jimmy asked as he grabbed his gun belt and put it on.

"What kind of offer?" Kyo asked, after Karen had told him.

"A good kind of offer," Sheriff Kane said as the four of them gathered in front of him. "Since the both of you did well as sheriff deputies, I was considering make you both permanent deputies."

"Permanent?" Jimmy asked. "I thought we were already."

"No, you were only temporary," Sheriff Kane said. "I reckon you two might agree to it. It will bring you steady pay and pay more than you're making already. So Mr. Sohma can stop living off donations from the railroad workers, and you, Mr. Michaels, will make more than you do working as a shopkeeper."

Both Jimmy and Kyo had intrigued looks on their faces. No doubt they liked the idea of earning more than they were already making. "I reckon I like that," Jimmy said.

"It is a good offer," Kyo said.

"Are you going to take the job, Kyo-kun?" Tohru asked. Kyo looked at her with a smile on his face. Tohru had a look of worry on her face, but Kyo's look told her that he wasn't worried.

"Of course," Kyo said. "I might as well. It will earn us more money." Tohru nodded her head and smiled at her fiancé. He turned to Karen and said, "Tell the Sheriff that I accept his offer."

"I reckon I accept too," Jimmy said after Karen relayed Kyo's words to Sheriff Kane. "I always wanted to be a lawman."

"Good," Sheriff Kane said. "I wish the both of you luck in your new positions."

"Thank you," Jimmy said. He finished with a cocky smile saying, "Although, I reckon I won't need any luck."

"I won't need any luck either," Kyo said. "My skills are good enough." And with that, the Sheriff handed them their deputy badges. Now the two wore them proudly, ready to take down any challenge that came their way.

--

The end—of Part 1! _The Swordsman and the Gunslinger, Part II: The Magnificent Seven (Plus One)_ is coming soon!

Well, I hope the last chapter was satisfying. I had to include it to explain some things and if possible, tie up some loose ends. I know there's a lot of dialogue, but I needed to do this.

Please review!

[1] This story is actually supposed to be a reference to the canonical back-story for Kyo in the manga. Kyo and Tohru's back-story is essentially the _Fruits Basket _manga without the curse and set in the late 1800s.

[2] A rebellion of former, disgruntled samurai in 1877.

[3] Yes, in the back story, her little beatings of Kyo were _not _funny.

[4] The word 'gunslinger' was not used then. This word was.

[5] Just imagine the scene from _Pirates of the Caribbean _where Jack Sparrow gets slapped by the Scarlet character in Tortuga.

And as for that kiss, that was Jimmy's idea, not mine. He acted before I could stop him, that bastard!


End file.
